A Soul's Last Mission
by Surrendered to Christ
Summary: Bakura finds shelter in an orphanage when he got lost in a storm, and meets a withdrawn and abused little boy who bears an eerie resmeblence to Yami...who was killed years ago. COMPLETED. 2 sequels up
1. Prologue

Here it is: the edited version of 'A Soul's Last Mission'. Old readers, please see the Author's Note at the end. New readers? Welcome! I sincerely hope you enjoy this story! And - please don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I Do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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**_Prologue_**

_I can feel his presence._

_Even from so far away, I can sense his unmistakable aura, still so powerful after all that he has been through. Or maybe _because_ of all that he has been through. Even now, so many years after he has been the most powerful being in the world, it still crackles with immense power and holds a silent authority. And still, his soul is humble, his heart uncorrupt. Truly, it is astounding. He truly is a most unique individual. Vastly different from anyone I have ever met. And that, I must say, is quite a feat in itself._

_He is near now, and approaching fast. I feel his eagerness. Soon, he will reach me, in hopes of passing into his final rest. Back to his family and the friends he had left behind in time so very long ago. Leaving behind all the pain and worries…_

_And yet, I see that intermixed within that eagerness and joy…is a deep sadness. Already, he misses the new friends he has left behind this time around. But he comforts himself in the knowledge that they will one day join him…_

_Oh, unique one. So young in body, but so old in spirit. You have done more than anyone could have asked, or even begun to imagine. In everything you did, you gave it your all, and so much more. You've saved the world and mankind not once, but twice. Through it all, you've been a leader, a protector, a teacher, and a beacon of hope to all who knew you. You, of all people, deserve your final rest. _

_And still, Great One, even though you deserve it so much, I cannot. I cannot, for your duty is not done. Your soul still has a mission upon that earth that it has yet to fulfill. It isn't fair to you, that you have to return to the world of the living even after you have left it yet again. It isn't fair. But I see no other choice. There're still people down there who need you._

_I do not want to, but I must. You must go back. Please believe me when I say that it brings me grief to do this. You will suffer so much more pain and despair, and it hurts to know that I will be the cause of it all. But I pray that you will one day forgive me. It is for the good of everyone involved. And for one soul especially. For although you have already guided him, he still needs you. But in a different way now._

_And so you must return. I wish you much luck, for you most certainly will be needing it._

_Goodbye for now, little one. We shall meet again. I only hope that next time, I will be able to allow you eternal peace. _


	2. A Shelter in the Storm

**Chapter 1**

_"A Shelter in the Storm"_

_What a night to get lost, _Bakura thought with a heavy sigh. He had been driving in what felt like giant circles for hours on end. The whole time it had been raining hard. Very, very hard. So hard, in fact, that "hard" would be considered the understatement of the century. It was downright pouring like there was no tomorrow. Bakura felt as though he was driving underneath a giant waterfall. The sky had been gray the whole morning, and had turned a nasty stormy black around four in the afternoon. He had been hoping to make it home before dark, but, well…it looked like fate had something else in store for him.

Growling about idiots who didn't deem it necessary to put up street signs in the countryside, he decided to make one last turn before stopping and staying put until the sun made its reappearance. He seriously did not want to think what would happen if it stormed all week-

The car suddenly slowed, jerked, sputtered, and stopped.

-or what would happened if he ran out of gas.

Swearing in a couple different languages, a skill he found most satisfying when he came upon hateful situations like getting stranded in a car in a storm, he pounded a fist on the dashboard. Well, wasn't this just lovely? So here he was, in the middle of nowhere, without food or water in a car without gas. Or a map, for that matter. Wonderful. Just wonderful. He felt like banging his head against the window until he passed out but decided against it, reasoning that the only result would be a massive headache. Or a broken window. Possibly both. Damn, but he hated his life. Why did everything have to go wrong for him! What had he done to deserve THIS!

In frustration, he slammed his foot on the gas paddle.

To his immense surprise the car lurched forward. He grabbed the steering wheel just in time to keep the car from leaving the slightly cracked road. Seems the thing still had a bit more in it…

_What the hell is that?_ the white haired teen thought. For a moment there, he could've sworn he'd seen a speck to light. But that couldn't be possible…could it? Who would want a house miles from the nearest store? Most probably he just imagined it…

That theory was rudely pushed aside as soon as it popped up, for the light reappeared among the rain. It sparkled in the distance, small but strong. Bakura's heart leapt. If there was someone there…

That was when his car decided it'd had enough. Sputtered in the manner of an outraged hen, it jerked to a stop, then grew silent as the engine died out.

Bakura snarled furiously, curding his notorious luck. He looked up at the light shining through the blackness of the storm. So close…but yet…

In a flash, he decided to make a break for it. If he stayed here, he'd freeze to death. As if some divine power out there was agreeing with him, it started to hail outside. At this rate, it'd be snowing soon. Then he'd really be in trouble. If that light could be seen through the storm, then it must be close. He could make it. He had to. It was his only hope.

Taking a deep breathe, Bakura flung the car door open. A frigid wall of wind blasted him, carrying with it huge rain drops and stinging hail. Gritting his teeth, he sprang out of the car and ran for all he was worth. He kept his eyes on the tiny speck of light, refusing to let it leave his sight. As he ran, it grew brighter and bigger. He didn't know it, but he soon passed a sign on the side of the road. The hail drops got larger, and Bakura forced his legs to speed up, straining his protesting muscles. He ran and ran…

…and finally crashed into a door with a huge slam that was barely heard above the noise of the raging storm. Looking up, he realized that the light had been a porch light that was positioned next to the door he now leaned against.

As if that wasn't enough excitement, the door was suddenly yanked open from inside. Bakura now found himself sprawled on the ground just inside the door, staring at an uncarpeted wooden floor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! You're not hurt are you? I didn't know you were…that is, I mean, well, ummm…"

Bakura looked up to see a boy standing over him. The kid looked about thirteen. He had messy blond hair which, in the front, fell just short of his gray eyes. He was thin, obviously not getting all the nutrition a growing boy needed, but nevertheless had a slight built. Even in this weather, he was wearing only a pair of too-short jeans and a thin tee-shirt. The young teen was staring down at the newcomer on the floor with a slight blush of embarrassment.

His expressing quickly changed to one of curiosity as he squatted down next to the older male. "Hey, is your hair _white_? Aren't you a bit young? I mean, you've gotta be just a bit older than me-" _You've no idea _Bakura thought dryly, starting to recover from his shock. "-so, you must've dyed it, right? That's one cool color. I didn't know they made hair dye in that color. Why would anyone want their hair white? But still, it is pretty cool. Does it normally look like this? I think it'd look better dry, huh? Not that it's bad the way it is now, or anything-"

"Hey kid, don't you ever shut up?" Bakura asked, having quickly grown tired of hearing the younger boy ramble on and on about his hair. He wasn't in the best moods as it was.

A sheepish blush returned to the boy's face. "I'm sorry! I didn't think-"

"That doesn't surprise me. You never think before you act," a voice interrupted from the end of the hall. Looking past the teen in front of him, Bakura saw a young man around twenty-five years of age standing just outside the doorway to another room.

"Sorry, Koji," the kid muttered, abashed, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

Koji, sighed, and shook his head. "Idiot, close the door," he growled, but his soft expression bellied his words. He moved forward until he ended up right in front of Bakura. Bending down, he offered the teen a hand, saying, "It must be uncomfortable down there, huh?"

Bakura blinked, for it had suddenly occurred to him how stupid he must look lying there, and that perhaps now would be a good time to get up, before these people got the idea that he was a cripple or something. "Uh…yeah," he mumbled, taking the offered hand before realizing what he was doing. Had his mind been in top condition, he'd have refused help of any kind. As it was, his brain was exhausted from the series of quick events that had taken him by complete surprise. Not to mention the fact that he was drenched and freezing.

Koji pulled Bakura to his feet. Standing up, Bakura only reached the taller boy's shoulder. He forced his knees to stop shaking, and shook his head to clear his mind. In doing so, he sprayed droplets of water all around him.

Koji grinned. "Well, since you…er…dropped by-" "Not funny," Bakura grumbled, scowling. Koji only grinned wider. "-I suppose we'd have to take you in for the night, huh? Can't send you back out there like this. You look like you'd just dived into the ocean."

Bakura decided not to say any thing in reply to that comment. After all, it was an accurate description, unflattering though it may have been.

"I'm Koji by the way. Koji Asira."

"And my name's Ikari Hino!" the energetic blond boy chirped. "What's your name?"

"You'll have to forgive him. He's completely tactless, as you can see," Koji sighed in a long-suffering voice, though his eyes were affectionate, and it was clear he and Ikari were close.

Bakura offered a small, tired smile. "Kids are all like that. I'm Bakura Sagara."

"C'mon, 'Kura, you'll be warmer by the fire," Ikari grabbed the teen's hand and literally dragged him down the hall and into the room Koji had stepped out of earlier.

The first thing Bakura noticed was the warmth in the room. It came from a blazing fire in an ancient fireplace. The next thing that caught his attention was the fact that the relatively small room held quite a few children. There were kids who looked as young as ten, and teens that looked about Koji's age. They were crowded around the fire, getting as close as possible without getting singed. Blankets were scattered, each covering at least two people. One somehow managed to cover up to five. Doing a quick count, Bakura thought there must be close to twenty people in that room.

"What is this place?" he heard himself ask.

"You didn't see the sign outside? Well, I suppose not. This is an orphanage for boys. It's what they call a 'last resort' orphanage. The kids here have been passed from one place to another. If nobody adopts them, eventually, they end up here. This is the end of the line. Those who come here stay here until they become adults legally. Generally, if you make it here, it must mean that _nobody_ out there wants you. People rarely come here to adopt, and new kids rarely come in. Which is a good thing, I suppose, though it does get kind of dull. We don't get enough as it is. If anybody new comes, we'll starve." Ikari said all this very quickly, in a matter-of-fact tone, like he didn't really care.

"Like we don't already starve," somebody in the room said. "Who's that?"

"Looks like something the cat dragged in." This comment came from a kid who looked about fifteen. He was staring at Bakura's hair. "Why in the world do you have white hair?"

"Yeah, that's what I asked, too. Doesn't it look cool?"

"It'd look better dry," was the only thing the other teen said in replied.

"Actually, I think it's not bad this way," someone else in the room commented, chipping in.

"Will you all stop it about my hair? It's natural, alright? And personally, I like it dry. In fact, I hate it wet. I hate being wet in general. And cold. It does not feel good to be cold. I also like my hair spiked. Do you know why? It's naturally that way, that's why! Now, if you've all stopped gawking at my hair, all I ask is that someone please provide me with a private place to dry off." This was more of a rant than anything else, as Bakura said all this so fast it was a miracle he did not trip over his own words. He had never been the patient type, and especially not when his mood was anything less than perfect.

Ikari looked completely unfazed by this outburst. "Sure thing, 'Kura, come on. I'll get you a towel or something." He once again took hold of Bakura's hand and dragged him off out of the room and down the hall, saying, "Is your hair really naturally like that? That's really awesome. Wish I had cool hair like that. And I think you're right, it would look better spiked. Really spiked, with lotsa gel. Here we are. This is the bathroom. There's a towel in there, and that's actually all we got. Go on! I'll be back in the living room, ok? I'll get a cup of water for you." With that, he shoved Bakura into a small room, flicked the lights on, and shut the door. Bakura heard his footsteps fade.

"I think I know why he was never adopted. That kid talks way too much." Bakura muttered to himself, stripping off the wet clothes that clung to his body. Looking around, he found the towel Ikari had mentioned. It was a sorry excuse for a towel. There were holes all over it, and one was as big as his fist. But it was all he had. With a weary sigh, Bakura took the towel and started to dry himself off.

Only after he was done did he realize that he had no dry clothes to put back on. He doubted the orphanage had anything to offer him. With yet another sigh, he pulled his soaked jeans and tee-shirt back on. His jacket and sweater would stay off. He'd get hypothermia if he wore them now.

Picking up his wet clothes, he opened the door, turned off the lights, and returned to what he assumed had to be the "living room" Ikari had mentioned. When he walked in, he was immediately greeted by a certain blond-haired bundle of energy, who dragged him in and dumped him in an empty spot near the fire. He found himself sitting between Koji and a wall. A couch was behind him, and he gratefully leaned back. A cup of water was pressed into his hands, courtesy of Ikari.

"So, care to tell us exactly what you were doing out in the storm at this time of the night?" Koji said, breaking the silence, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Bakura sighed. "Got lost," he muttered, hating to admit his mistake. "And then the stupid car broke down."

"You have a car?" a young boy around Ikari's age asked, looking at him with wide eyes. "That's so awesome! Who bought it for you? Was it really, really expensive?"

Bakura blinked. "I brought it for me. Of course it was expensive. I worked forever to get enough money for that heap of metal."

"But what about your parents? I thought they were supposed to buy stuff like that for you," the kid said, looking puzzled. Bakura raised an eyebrow. Funny…he didn't seem at all sensitive to the subject of parents. In fact, none of them did. Perhaps they've become immune.

"I wouldn't know. I barely remember my parents," he replied shortly.

"Well, you fit in perfectly. What happened to yours?" A brown haired boy asked, apparently interested, like they had all swapped stories about their parents' untimely demises. Then again, maybe they _had_.

"Murder." Bakura shrugged nonchalantly.

"That's one of the better stories," a young, high-pitched voice piped up from the other end of the room.

"Hey, your hair does look better dry," Ikari suddenly piped up. "And you're right, it looks great spiked. Is it really natural like that?"

Bakura guessed his hair was starting to take on some form again. "Yes, it's natural. Is there something with you and hair?"

Ikari grinned. "I've never seen hair like that." As if Bakura couldn't have deduced that fact on his own.

"Speaking of which, I think our own champion in that aspect may have a new rival," a nearby boy with reddish hair laughed, nodding towards a dark corner of the room.

Bakura frowned, glancing towards the indicated spot. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and he let out a slight, involuntary gasp when he saw exactly what the teen had been referring to.

In that dark corner, far away from the fire and everyone else, was a little boy who looked younger than everyone in the room. In size, the child was small enough to be taken for a four-year old. Looking closer, Bakura thought him to be around six. The boy was pitifully thin, and looked very weak and frail. He was sitting with his arms wrapped around knees that were drawn up to his chest. Curled in on himself. What caught Bakura's attention was the boy's hair. It was no doubt very unique, but hauntingly familiar.

The child's hair was mainly dark ebony, tipped with crimson, while golden bangs framed his delicately sculpted face. It was going haphazardly every which way, and for Bakura, there was really no mistaking that hair color.

At that moment, the child raised his eyes to gaze into the fire. And when his eyes hit the bright flames, Bakura saw that they were crimson.


	3. Conscience's Guidance

**Chapter 2**

_"Conscience's Guidance"_

Bakura could only stare. The boy looked so terribly familiar. His face, his eyes…the sight brought back too many memories. Painful memories that he had been trying to bury for the past seven years. Memories of a former enemy who had gradually won his friendship. Memories of a friend who had died much too soon, who'd left them much too suddenly, barely having time for a final good-bye. And memories of the days proceeding his death. Those long, dark days where he could not do anything but relive those final moments…over and over again…

"Bakura? Hey, Bakura! Hello!" Bakura snapped out of his painful trip down memory lane to look at the young teen who was trying to get his attention. Ikari was looking at him with a funny looked on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," Bakura muttered distractedly. "Er…who's that kid over there? Why isn't he over here with everyone else?" he asked in what he hoped was an offhanded tone, nodding towards Yami's look-alike.

"Oh, him? He hasn't got a name. Kid's been here for three months and hasn't said one single word. You talk to him, and all he does is glare at you. We call him Shadow, 'cause he always seems to be in a dark corner somewhere. Silent as a mouse, too. I've never seen him smile, or make any other kinds of facial expression. It's like he doesn't exist most of the time. Kenya over there claims he once saw the kid smile when he was telling him a story about some Egyptian king, or something, but I think that's all a bunch of bull sh-"

"Watch your mouth, kid," Koji interrupted. "And he can hear you, you know." By now, Bakura had figured out that he was the one in charge here.

Ikari rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Like he's going to do anything. Anyway, the guy who brought him here said he came from an abusive foster home. Said that he's been in foster care and orphanages forever, and that he seems to have the worse luck with them, ending up in an abusive one every time. It makes sense. Certainly explains why he's so damn quiet and seems to hate everyone."

"He's real young too, only around six or so. Usually, the young ones always get adopted first. No one knows anything about his family or background," a boy with flaming red hair added softly, looking towards the aforementioned child with a deeply sympathetic gaze. "He's been hurt bad, physically and emotionally. You can tell."

Bakura nodded. He tried not to stare, but his gaze kept drifting back to Shadow. _Fitting name_ he thought, a soft smile creeping unconsciously onto his face. The child was oblivious to the white-haired teen's gaze. He stared at the fire for a while, the crackling flames reflecting in his bright crimson eyes, before putting his chin tiredly on his knees and closing his eyes, drifting off into a light slumber.

For a while, Bakura watched the child sleep. Exhaustion finally took over. Looking around, he realized most of the other boys had already succumbed to their tired bodies. Ikari had somehow curled up against him without his noticing. Bakura sighed, and leaned back against the couch. Weariness overcame him in a wave, and he quickly fell into sleep's warm embrace.

a/a/a/a/a

Bakura was rudely awakend the next morning by the songs of birds outside. Very _loud_ songs. Very loud and _annoying_ songs. He had a sudden urge to get up and send some birds to the shadow realm. But when he tried to move, he found he couldn't. Looking down, he found the source of his immobility: Ikari had somehow ended up sleeping on top of the older teen. The kid was using Bakura's stomach as a pillow.

Bakura rolled his eyes, and had to stifle a traitor smile that was attempting to jump onto his lips and declare to the world that yes, Bakura, the spirit of the millennium ring, knew how to give a genuine smile. The blond reminded him of his hikari. It had been years since he last saw Ryou, who was attending college in England.

As if sensing Bakura's gaze on him, Ikari opened his eyes. Yawning widely, he sat up and stretched, then rubbed his sleep-fogged eyes.

Within half an hour, all the other orphans were up, and the place got very loud. Last night's storm had dumped a couple inches of snow on the ground. It'd have been more if it hadn't rained first, but no one was complaining. All the boys were racing to get outside and play. Soon, everyone expect Bakura, Koji, and Shadow (who hadn't moved from his corner) was outside. Snowballs were sailing back and forth, and screams of joy-and sometimes pain-echoed through the crisp winter air.

Bakura watched all this through a window from within the warm house, where he was safe from the risk of being smacked with a hard glob of the evil, icy stuff called _snow_. As he said, he wasn't too fond of being wet or cold, and playing in the snow would mean being both. Koji sat beside him, offering a silent but comfortable companionship.

"Why don't you go outside?" Bakura asked curiously.

Koji shook his head. "No thanks. I'm not too fond of snow myself. Which reminds me, how the heck are you going to get back home?"

Bakura groaned, the events of the night before slamming back to him full force. "I forgot about that. And I'm all out of gas."

"Don't you have any spare?"

At his, Bakura could do nothing but gape at his new friend, furiously berating himself for his own stupidity. Of course! The spare! Seto had adamantly and personally made sure he had been well equipped with a thankful of gasoline, because, as the CEO had put it, he 'didn't fancy having to pick up an idiot who ran out'.

"You do, huh?" Koji grinned, guessing the truth by the expression of disgust on Bakura's face.

Bakura scowled at him, warning him to drop the teasing. "Yes, and I should be leaving soon. I need to get home. A friend of mine said he'd be dropping by tomorrow, and it's going to take me hours to find the main road again. Where is this place, anyway?"

"How should I know? You'll just have to trust your instincts. Better get started, man. Snow's not that deep, you'll make it."

_Trust your instincts my ass,_ Bakura thought sourly. If his instincts were worth half a dime, he would have had the sense to not leave the house yesterday morning. Still, what was done was done, andBakura could only take Koji's suggestion and set off a quickly as possible. Getting to his feet, he cast a sidelong glance towards Shadow, huddled in his little corner. A wave of pity rushed over him. The kid looked so…small, and vulnerable, so in need of protection. He couldn't help asking himself if there wasn't some special reason he just _happened_ to break down right here. Then he shook his head, telling himself not to be stupid. He couldn't take care of some kid. He could barely cook a meal without blowing something up, and he certainly wasn't parent material. All his life he had fended for himself, and cared for nobody else. The kid would probably be better off here. He tore his gaze from the little child and headed for the door.

"Good luck. It's been nice meeting you." Koji said, slapping him on the back, holding the front door open.

Bakura nodded. "Yes. Thank you. Really. Don't know what I'd've done without you."

"Hey 'Kura, you leavin' already?" Ikari asked, coming up to them, soaked from head to toe and wearing a grin that seemed somehow too big for his face.

Bakura nodded again, smirking. "Gotta get home, kid. 'S been nice knowing you."

Ikari ginned like a madman, as if that was one of the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. Thinking back later, Bakura realized if probably had been. The blond tackled Bakura into a huge hug. "Good-bye, 'Kura-san. I really, really hope I'll see you again sometime."

Bakura was more than a bit surprised, but he returned the hug, if a bit hesitantly. "Bye, kid. And good luck. Now get off, you're getting my clothes wet."

Ikari grinned, and released him. Nodding to Koji, Bakura sprinted back towards his car for all he was worth, eager to get out of the frigid air, dogging flying snowballs that sailed dangerously close to his head. The others yelled their own farewells at his retreating back, but Bakura didn't stop to respond. He did _hate _snow.

When he had reached his vehicle (which was in surprisingly good shape) he looked back at the old orphanage. He saw the porch light that had led him to a sanctuary during the fierce storm. He felt somehow connected to the place. It was like something was calling to him, telling him to go back. Bakura sighed. He really didn't need voices talking to him on top of everything else. No. He couldn't…

He was about to open the door and get in when something stirred in the back of his mind like a long forgotten dream.

It was an image of little Shadow. The child had looked so alone. So painfully alone. Suddenly, Bakura could remember in clear detail the days after Yami's death. He, too, had felt a dreadful loneliness that he wouldn't have been able to overcome without the help of his friends, especially his hikari. At least he had somebody by his side. Shadow had no one, No one to comfort him and hold him, and tell him that everything would be ok. Ikari's words came back to him softly, like a ghost riding the wind: _…hasn't spoken a word…never seen him smile…_ And, knowing he had been all but defeated, Bakura heaved a last, relenting sigh. His conscience would never leave him alone if he left now.

Turning around resolutely, he quickly made his way back to the orphanage. This time, there were no snowballs to doge. The boys had used up most of the snow in the front, and had moved around to the back.

Skidding to a halt in front of the orphanage's front door, he knocked.

After a pause, the door opened. Koji grinned at him, arching an eyebrow. "Gee, back so soon?"

Bakura scowled at him. "Shaddup. Let me in. I'm taking Shadow with me."


	4. Promises

**Chapter 3**

_"Promises"_

Koji blinked with no small amount of surprise. "What?"

"Are you deaf? I said, 'I. Am. Taking. Shadow. With. Me'. You know, that kid with the tri-colored hair, who's probably still sitting in his little corner…" Bakura reply was coated with dripping sarcasm.

"I know who he is, idiot. I meant, what about him?" Koji said, rolling his eyes.

"You want me to repeat it again? 'I. Am. Taking. Him. WITH. ME.'" Bakura snapped impatiently. "Let me in willya? It's not too warm out here."

Koji obeyed, stepping back and allowing Bakura to enter. "But why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Bakura growled. Then he added as an afterthought, "Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd use in reply to a question like that…"

"But how old are you? We can't let just anyone take kids home, no matter how desperately they need it," the young man argued with a frown.

Bakura snorted. "I'm older than you. That's all you gotta know."

Koji still didn't look convinced.

Bakura snarled, and stuffed a hand into his jeans' pocket. When he withdrew it, he held a driver's license, which he shoved into Koji's face. "This clearly states I'm twenty-two. At that age, I'm old enough to buy liquor, and I am willing to bet I'm also old enough to adopt. Happy now?"

"You don't look that old," Koji muttered in self-defense, but he couldn't very well argue with against an official document. Defeated, he gestured towards the living room door. "Well, go on in. You'll be able to take him back with you today, if he agrees. I'll fill out some forms. A letter should arrive at your house in a couple of days, just sign those forms when they arrive. Go try and see if you can somehow succeed in getting the kid to leave with you." With that, he turned and trotted down the hall and disappeared into a room at the far end.

Bakura blinked, a bit windswept by the quick turn of events. "Ok…talk about your quick getaways…" Shaking his head slightly, he entered the living room.

Shadow was indeed still sitting in his little corner. He didn't show any signs that he'd heard Bakura come in, remaining motionless as Bakura came up and knelt down in front of him.

"Hey kid," the teen said, trying to make his voice as soft as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the kid.

There was no response.

Bakura gave an inner sigh. This wasn't going to be easy.

He tried again. "Hey, you don't look too happy here." _No, really?_ "How would you like to come home with me?"

He had expected a response at that, and he wasn't disappointed. Much. A flicker of surprise darted through those crimson eyes. It was gone almost as soon as it had come, though, and the child lifted his head slightly to glare at the teen before him.

Bakura sighed again, for what felt like the hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours. "I don't want to fight you. If you come with me, I promise I'll feed you and make sure you're warm and clothed. I'll take care of you." _At least I'll try,_ he added silently, but Shadow did not need to know about his poor domestic track record.

Shadow wasn't going to come easily. He refused to even look at the guy talking to him anymore, busily pretending that the man didn't exist. Bakura tried to keep his impatience from showing. Why, dammit, why won't the kid listen to him him?

At once, he heard Ikari's voice at the back of his mind. _"He's been in orphanages and foster homes forever…ending up in an abusive one every time…"_ Well, it was a small wonder the child didn't trust him.

Bakura ran a hand through his long hair, and gave a small, weary groan, followed by a small growl of anger. How could anyone hurt an innocent, frail little kid like Shadow? Were humans really so cruel?

Of course, if Ryou heard that, he'd tell his yami exactly how ironic it was to hear Bakura's mind think up something like that. There'd been a time where the sprirt'd have hurt a child, no questions asked, just because he felt like it.

Pushing that thought aside, he told himself he had changed for the better. Turning his attention back to the problem before him, he tried once again to reach Shadow. "Alright, listen, kid. I promise I won't hurt you. I know you've been…mistreated. And I know how you feel. You listening to me? I haven't had an easy childhood myself. I just want to help you. I swear I won't hurt you, and I won't let anyone else hurt you either. That's a promise, Shadow."

That was when Shadow fully looked up. For the first time, Bakura saw the child's face in full light. It was very thin, like the rest of his body. But now Bakura saw the details, and the evidence that confirmed the violence in his short life.

There were old scars scattered all across his young face. Thankfully, there weren't any new ones. At least, this orphanage was kind to him. However, there was one scar that really caught Bakura's attention. It ran down the child's left cheek, starting from just below his eye and continuing all the way to his chin. It had obviously been very deep, for even after all this time it was still a bit indented.

Bakura swallowed, keeping his voice steady. He couldn't waver now. "Please, Shadow. Come with me. Let me take you away from here, and give you a new life. I'll take good care of you, I promise I will." _I will give you the childhood I never knew, but wanted so very much._

Shadow's crimson eyes moved up and down the older male serchingly, taking in every last detail. They finally met and locked with Bakura's own crimson-brown ones. The white-haired teen saw a hint of indecision in them before they hardened again. Shadow cocked his head slightly, before lowering his gaze and giving an almost unnoticed nod.

Bakura fought the instinctive urge to give a huge whoop at the mission accomplished. Standing up, he bended down to offer Shadow a hand. The child didn't so much as twitch. Slightly dismayed, Bakura realized he was going to have to carry the kid.

Suppressing a growl, his previous good mood fleeing awfully fast, he reached forward and scooped the small boy into his arms. His blinked at how light the kid was. He was going to have to ask Seto for the CEO's personal doctor to come and give the boy a check up…

After settling Shadow in his arms, Bakura made his way out of the room, where he met Koji in the hall. The taller teen looked quiet surprised to see Shadow in Bakura's arms, but made no comment. He held out Bakura' driver's license, which was taken back by its owner.

After a small hesitation, Koji moved down the hall with Bakura right behind him. He opened the door for the two, standing aside to make way for them. Looking at Shadow with a wistful expression, he said softly, "Good luck, kid."

Shadow gave no response. He didn't even glance at Koji.

Bakura gave Koji a parting nod, then started across the distance towards his car once more.

"Oh, and Bakura…"

The mentioned teen paused and looked back.

Koji smiled. "Thank you."

Bakura only smirked in reply.

This time, when he reached his car, he opened the door to the back seat. Leaning in, he gently placed Shadow down and strapped him in, saying, "You might as well get comfortable. It's going to be a long drive home."

With that, Bakura backed out and shut the back door. Going to the trunk, he opened it and grabbed his spare gas. After he refilled his tank, he got into the driver's seat.

As the engine sputtered to life, he sent up a prayer that he would be able to reach a gas station before he ran out again. Then, after casting a final look back at the orphanage, he took off, and headed in what he hoped was the direction of the main road with only himself, his car, and a little kid in the back seat.

As the orphanage disappeared form view, Bakura couldn't help feeling that this was just the beginning of a long and difficult journey for both himself and little Shadow.

When he glanced at the rear view mirror a little while later, he saw that Shadow had fallen asleep. In his sleep, the child looked much more peaceful, more like the little boy he really was, and not the old man his life had turned him into.

And as Bakura watched the little boy in his peaceful slumber, he gave a slight smile, and knew that in the end, everything would turn out all right.


	5. Homecoming

**Chapter 4**

_"Homecoming"_

It was hours later before Bakura finally got back to the main road. When he first saw the headlights from other cars, shinning like flashlights of guardian angels, he nearly dropped with relief. It had been morning when he started driving, and it was now past sunset. The only problem was, his tank was almost empty once again, and he didn't know how far the nearest gas station was.

He told himself not to worry. Now that there were other people in sight, what could possibly go wrong?

That is really one sentence one should never, ever say…

Casting a glance at the rear view mirror, Bakura noted that Shadow was now awake, and looking out the window. His eyes were hard and emotionless as always, making it impossible for Bakura to tell what he was feeling.

Deciding he'd worry about getting through to the child later, he stepped on the gas pedal and slid into an open space in the traffic.

xxxxxxxxxx

"_Damn!_"

Bakura felt a dreading sense of familiarity as he pounded a fist on the dashboard. "Damn, damn, _damn!_"

Too late, he remembered about young Shadow in the backseat.

Looking behind him, he saw that the child had fallen asleep again.

For a moment, he felt relived. That feeling was short-lived, however, as he pounded again on the dashboard in frustration. He couldn't believe it. Out of gas _again!_ Why? Why him!

He had been so sure a gas station would be nearby, but he hadn't even passed a rest stop. He was hungry, thirsty, in need of a bathroom…and out of gas. AGAIN!

Nobody seemed to care. All the other cars speed past, and Bakura felt like life was passing before his eyes.

But you shouldn't question fate.

It may be frisky and have a wicked sense of humor…but it always has a plan.

A very familiar car pulled up right behind Bakura's.

The white-haired teen's eyes widened. Talk about chance meetings…

"_Seto!"_

"The one and only," a familiar voice responded airily, reaching Bakura before the speaker himself appeared. A certain CEO sauntered over to where Bakura was stuck by the side of the road, smirking as he came up to stand by Bakura's car. Leaning in the open window, he said in a lazy drawl, "So. How's life?"

"Shut up, you humongous ahou. Get me out!" Bakura snapped.

"Oh. Were you stuck?" Seto's eyes widened in mock surprise.

"That's not funny. I have to _gooooo_!" Bakura wined. "And I'd guess my the same for the kid in the back," he added, jerking his head towards the back seat.

Seto looked to where his…friend…had indicated, and this time, his expression of shock wasn't fringed. His eyes widened until they were literally twice their usual size, a rare expression of genuine shock breaking cleanly though his usual mask. "Oh. My. God. He looks exactly like…like…"

Bakura cut him off. "Yes, I know. I sort of noticed. Can you _please _get us to a rest stop! I'll catch you up on everything on the way!"

Seto snapped out of his daze. "Yes, yes of course. Grab the kid and let's go!"

Without a backward glance, Seto raced off to start his car. Bakura hastily made to follow suit. Leaning into the backseat, he unbuckled Shadow, who immediately woke up. His crimson eyes snapped open, and upon seeing Bakura leaning over him, the child's eyes widened considerably.

"I'm not going to hurt you, kid. I told you that. C'mon, we're leaving." With that, Bakura scooped the child into his arms and backed out of the car. Shadow was tense in his arms. He was obviously and understandably nervous, unsure of what was going on and not liking the fact that he had little control of what was going to happen to him.

Bakura trotted over to Seto's car and settled Shadow in the back. Then he himself went to the front and slipped into the passenger seat. "What about my car?" he demanded of the man beside him. Seto glanced at him while stepping on the gas and maneuvering the car onto the road. "We'll worry about that later," he said shortly. "Let's get to that rest stop you mentioned. And start talking. You promised you'd explain."

Bakura sighed, but had to obey, seeing as how Seto had the power to just leave him by the side of the road. He was forced to talk for the next fifteen minutes straight. Seto snorted when he was finished. "Idiot. And you told me you'd _never ever_ have to use that spare gas."

"Shut up. Are we there yet?"

"Glad you asked," Seto replied, pulling into a small rest stop. The car had barely stopped when the white-haired teen wrenched the door open and disappeared into the bathroom.

Seto rolled his eyes, and decided not to say anything regarding a certain immature, ill-mannered ex-tomb robber. Instead, he looked back at the child who now sat in his backseat. Crimson eyes locked with icy blue ones. Shadow was watching the CEO's every move, letting nothing escape his weary gaze. Remembering what Bakura had said about the kid, Seto decided to act as nice as possible. After all, he knew only too well how horrible orphanages could be.

"Hey there. We haven't really gotten introduced, huh? My name's Seto Kaiba."

Shadow didn't give any response.

"So…uh…do you have to go too?" Seto asked, nodding to the bathroom in to which Bakura had disappeared.

Again, Shadow did nothing, though Seto hadn't been exactly expecting a reaction.

Seto gave a little sigh. "Look, kid, I'm not going to hurt you, alright? I know first hand how bad orphanages could be. I won't make things worse for you. Looks like you've already been to hell and back."

Bakura reappeared at that moment. He opened the back door. "Getting acquainted? Great. Finish up later. C'mon, Shadow, you have to go too."

They both disappeared into the small building.

Seto could only gaze blankly after them.

"We are going to have one hell of a time trying to break through to that boy," he said into thin air.

He never did notice that he used "we" instead of "he".

xxxxxxxx

When they finally arrived back at Seto's mansion, it was around three in the morning. Both Shadow and Bakura were fast asleep. Seto smacked the white-haired man beside him upside the head, and Bakura woke up with a yelp, causing Seto to smirk rather evilly. "Awake, sleepyhead? About time. Get the kid. You can have one of the guestrooms tonight." That said, the CEO left them and went into the house,

Bakura glared after him for a second…or two…before getting out of the car and fetching Shadow from the back.

With the child secure in his arms, Bakura went into the house and somehow managed to find his way to the guestrooms. He stumbled into the first one he saw and tossed Shadow onto the giant bed as gently as he could manage. Then, too tired to do anything else, he collapsed next to the child, exhausted. He had barely pulled the covers over them before he fell back into sleep's comforting hold.

* * *

Note:

This story takes place six years after the gang graduates. Yami was killed seven years ago, or one year before the graduation. If you haven't figured it out, Shadow was born a year later, or about the same time the teens graduated. Upon graduation, everyone left to pursue their dreams. Where they went will be revealed later. Seto's home remained in Domino, obviously, as that's where his company is. Mokuba left for college a few months ago, during the summer. It is now winter, almost Christmas. Bakura also remained in Domino. His house isn't far from Seto's. Malik (the yami) left with his hikari.


	6. Memories

**Chapter 5**

_"Memories"_

_Stupid birds. Shut up._ Those were Bakura's first thoughts when he woke up the next morning. As his senses started to function again, he kept his eyes closed, enjoying the last few moments of the worry-free blissfulness that comes with sleep. Slowly, he became aware of a small, warm object at his side. Cracking his eyes open, he looked down. It took a moment for his hazy vision to clear up, but when it did, his eyes snapped fully open in surprise as he realized exactly what was curled up against him. Shadow had snuggled up to his warm body some time during the night. At the moment, the child's face was pressed against the teen's chest. Bakura noticed that his own arm was draped around the boy's small body.

_I wonder how he'll react to this when he wakes up...? _Bakura thought with an amused smile.

He didn't have to wait long for an answer to his question. Shadow stirred sleepily. Bakura assumed he must have then opened his eyes, because he let out a yelp of surprise and hurriedly rolled over and away from the older male. The result was that he got hopelessly tangled up in the covers. With a small, helpless whimper, the child started to struggle. Of course, that just made things worse.

Laughing, Bakura reached over and untangled the kid. Shadow looked up at him, surprised. Grinning, Bakura lifted the boy up and carried him to the bathroom connected to the bedroom, where he set the child down. "Will you go by yourself, or do I have to help you?" the teen asked, smirking. In reply, Shadow gave a small scowl and shut the door on the spirit.

Sill smirking, Bakura went back to the bed to wait. His smirk grew wider when he realized this was the first time that Shadow had shown any sort of emotion in front of him. Maybe the child was starting to trust him.

A little while later, the two made their way into the kitchen. Shadow had to trot slightly the keep up with Bakura's long strides. Seto was already there, drinking coffee. Glancing up, he gave a cheerful, "Good morning!" then added "About time you woke up. I've been up since six a.m. getting work done."

"Just because you're crazy doesn't mean we all are," Bakura shot back. He sat down heavily in a chair. Shadow climbed up onto another one next to him. However, he was so small that he was barely able to see over the top of the table.

Seeing this, Bakura sighed, and placed the child onto his lap. "Oh, Seto! I'll have a pot of coffee and my friend here will have milk and toast, please!"

Seto glared at him. "I am not a waitress!"

"Of course not, dummy, you're a wait_er_. Make it snappy, we haven't got all day," Bakura replied with a sweet smile. Seto snarled, but reluctantly got up to fix their breakfast. Bakura had a feeling that if Shadow hadn't been there, the CEO would've told him to go to hell and get his own food. Shadow merely pretended he hadn't heard anything and stared straight ahead.

When Seto place their orders in front of them (and then proceeded to leave the room before Bakura could blackmail him into doing anything else) Shadow did nothing but stare at the food. "What's with you, kid? Eat, you've gotta be hungry," Bakura said, while downing the whole cup of coffee in one gulp. Ah, caffeine. Shadow didn't move. "Eat," Bakura ordered, grabbing the toast and shoving it brashly in front of the child's nose. "Don't make me feed you."

Shadow looked at the piece of toast like he had never seen anything like it before. Gingerly, he took it in his hands and raised it to his mouth. Bakura watched curiously as the child cautiously licked the slightly burned and lightly buttered bread. Withdrawing slightly and cocking his head, Shadow continued to study the piece of toast intently.

"What's wrong? You never seen toast before?" Bakura asked, puzzled by Shadow's actions. Shadow glanced briefly at him, then gave a very tiny shake of his head.

Bakura started at the kid. Never seen _toast!_ He really didn't want to know…

"Er…yes, well, it's not poisoned. Just eat it, ok?"

Shadow hesitated, then took a small bite. He looked thoughtful as he chewed, then swallowed. His eyes lit up immediately, and he then proceeded to stuff the rest of the toast in his mouth.

"Calm down! The food's not going to run away! You're going to chock yourself!" Bakura yelled frantically.

Shadow ignored him, and quickly devoured the two other pieces of bread on the plate. Then, on pure impulse, he grabbed the now empty plate and shoved it in front of Bakura. He didn't say anything, but it wasn't necessary. It was really pretty obvious what he wanted.

Sighing, Bakura removed the child from his lap and took the extended plate. "I'll try, kid, but you should know I've had some pretty bad experiences with the toaster." he said, while moving across the kitchen. Shadow followed him. It seemed that now that Bakura had gotten his trust, he wasn't going to let the teen out of his sight.

Bakura couldn't help but smile as Shadow patiently stood waiting for his toast to be made. He just hoped he wouldn't disappoint the child…

a/a/a/a/a/

"What happened in here!" Seto gasped upon seeing his kitchen. Bakura was sitting at the kitchen table once more. His bangs and clothes were slightly singed. Shadow was sitting on Bakura's lap, happily munching the over-burned toast. The child didn't seem to mind: this toast had extra butter _and _jam, so who cared how burned the bread was.

The usually spotless kitchen was a mess. Where the toaster had been, there was only a huge, brown, burned spot and a lot of water. In fact, there was water pretty much all over the place, as well a little pieces of plastic that looked like they had once been a part of the now deceased toaster. Bakura glanced at the mess he had made, then gave Seto an innocent smile. "Just making breakfast! C'mon, kid, let's go." He grabbed Shadow - who had by then finished his breakfast - and left before Seto could say anything else.

a/a/a/a/a/

"Don't worry! The guy's not going to hurt you!" Bakura growled in frustration. He was holding Shadow in place on the bed as Seto's private doctor examined him. The CEO had agreed, after he calmed down over the whole "kitchen fiasco" that morning, to call his own top-notch doctor over to give Shadow a check up. However, the patient wasn't co-operating. He had latched on to Bakura's pants the moment he caught sight of the man and refused to let go. Getting him off had taken fifteen minutes. Convincing him to stay in the same room as the doctor had taken even longer. Shadow seemed terrified and mistrustful of all adults, and Bakura couldn't blame him. However, he would have to find a way to cure the child of this phobia, and soon. It would be very inconvenient if Shadow kept on flinching and recoiling if someone so much as _touched _him.

The doctor reached over for what felt like the hundredth time, hoping that Shadow would allow to be touched at last. His hopes were short lived. As the hand slowly approached, Shadow leaned back. When it got to the point where he couldn't lean back any farther, he tried to jerk away and run, but Bakura held him in place firmly. Shadow shot the teen a look that said, "I thought you said you were gonna _help _me!"

The doctor sighed, withdrawing his hand. "If he's not even going to let me touch him, how am I supposed to get anything done?" he demanded, turning to Seto.

"You're the doctor. Figure something out!" was the curt reply.

"Look, Shadow, we don't have all day. C'mon, let the man do his job!" Bakura snapped, his patience having been worn out. Shadow gave him a brief, fearful look, and then seemingly gave up. His eyes turned hard as he turned them towards the floor, and he went limp.

Bakura blinked. _Was it something I said?..._

The doctor reached forward once more, and this time, Shadow made no move to run. In fact, he didn't move at all. The doctor was able to perform the whole check up without a single struggle. At last, the man stood up straight. "Mr. Kaiba, if I may have a word?" he asked, putting his equipment back in his briefcase. Seto nodded, and the two left the room.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Bakura asked the child on the bed, who showed no signs he had noticed the two men had left. Shadow gave no response at all to the question. Bakura realized, dismayed and annoyed, that the child had once again retreated into his shell.

"Oh c'mon, kid, I didn't mean to yell, if that's what you're mad about. Look, I'm sorry, ok?" Bakura said softly, hoping to make up with the boy as soon as possible.

Shadow looked up at him, paused, and then looked down again. Bakura followed his gaze, and saw the young boy's hand slowly inching towards him. Looking at Shadow once more, he saw that the child was looking at him with something like…_hope_…in his eyes.

Smiling, Bakura stood up and lifted the little boy up into his arms. "I take it that means you forgive me." he said, grinning. Shadow snuggled up to him in response. Laughing, Bakura said cheerfully, "Let's go get some lunch."

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully. It took hours for Bakura to show Shadow the whole mansion. After dinner (Seto cooked) they spend the night watching TV. Little Shadow stared at the flashing images like he had never seen anything more intriguing. Of course, he probably hadn't. When Bakura noticed Shadow starting to nod off, he stood up to get the child ready for bed.

When he had tucked the boy beneath the covers, he sat down next to him. "Would you…er…like a story?" he asked uncertainly. Seto had said that Mokuba had always loved stories at bedtime when the younger Kaiba had been Shadow's age. Ryou, too, had enjoyed an occasional bedtime story, especially if a storm was raging. His hikari had never liked storms.

Shadow blinked, obviously taken by surprise, before giving a tiny nod. Bakura nodded, staring off into space as he tried to think of something to say. His mind wondered back to the night at the orphanage. That seemed so long ago. He dimly recalled Ikari saying something about a story about an Egyptian king that had made Shadow smile…

Grinning, Bakura knew at once what story to tell. Clearing his throat, he began. "Five thousand years ago, in Ancient Egypt, there lived a young prince named … Atemu. Now, Atemu had never liked the strict rules set by his father, the Pharaoh, nor did he particularly enjoy all the lessons he was forced to take. He had always thought the palace was boring. After all, there were only so many times one could tour a place, even one as big as the Pharaoh's palace, before getting bored. Atemu was young, just a little older than you, actually, and he had plenty of energy to burn off and curiosity to satisfy. So, one afternoon, he decided to get some excitement adventure. He dressed up as a peasant, or a commoner, and sneaked out of the giant palace. He sneaked pass the many guards always guarding him and ventured into the city, where he had always been forbidden to go."

Pausing, he looked down to see that Shadow had already fallen asleep. Smiling slightly, he murmured, "Well, we can finish that story later then. Good night, kiddo." He brushed the child's bangs gently off his face before getting up and leaving the room.

Seto was waiting for him in the living room. "Kid's asleep?" he asked, looking up as Bakura entered and flopped onto the couch. "Yup," the white-haired teen answered. "I told him a story and he fell asleep in the middle of it."

"_You_ told him a story?" Seto asked with a wicked grin. "Well, can you blame for falling asleep halfway through?"

"Shut up. What did the doc say?"

"Oh yes, that." Seto quickly grew serious. "He's definitely been badly abused physically. Judging from his reactions, he's been mentally and emotionally abused as well. He's got quite a few broken bones that never healed properly. He has scars that will never fade completely, again both physically and mentally, but, hopefully, we can eventually get him to open up to us. Other than the many wounds, he's fine health-wise."

"So he'll be ok?" Bakura asked, trying to hide his relief. Even after all this time, his pride was still very big.

"Physically, anyway," Seto muttered.

"He'll be ok. No one's going to hurt _him_ anymore. I swear it," Bakura growled.

Laughing, Seto nodded. "Oh yes. With you watching over him, no doubt he'll never get hit again. Go to sleep, 'Kura. Tomorrow is another big day."

"Oh yes, father," Bakura smirked. Going upstairs, he chose a guestroom right across from Shadow's, and got ready for bed.

As he lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling, a random question popped up in his mind: why was it that Shadow, who had been abused all his life and been taught not to trust anyone, find it so easy to trust _him_, a stranger he had just met? If he didn't trust the people at the only orphanage to ever be kind to him, why would he trust some strange teen that just popped up in his life one day?

And why did he, Bakura, who had been taught never to care for anyone but himself, find it so easy to get attached to the withdrawn little boy? He, who had never cared for children, was suddenly worried about this child. Out of seemingly nowhere, emotions he had never felt before surfaced. Is this how it felt to be a parent? This overwhelming sense of responsibility that he had not felt even towards Ryou, his own hikari…was this normal?

This was all so confusing. Maybe he should ask Seto. Perhaps the CEO, who was also a big brother, would have some answers to his many new questions.

_I wish Yami were here. He'd probably have some idea what to do… _Bakura thought sleepily. He smiled softly at that thought. There'd been a time, long ago, when he'd wanted Yami dead. But…stupid pharaoh. Growing soft when he met that big-eyed hikari of his. _How he was able to win my friendship is still a mystery to me. _

The teen buried his face in his pillow. Stupid Yami. Stupid Pharaoh. Why did you go to all that trouble to be a friend to me if you die so soon afterwards? Do you just _like_ making me suffer?

Bakura's mind flashed back to that dark day, seven years ago. After Battle City, they had all been so sure everyone who wanted the items' powers was gone. But they were wrong. One afternoon, while enjoying a walk in the park, they'd been attacked. Bakura smiled bitterly when he recalled how Ryou had _begged_ him to go, please, because it was a nice day and Bakura should get out more and hang out with friends. _Everyone_ would be there. He had relented when he heard Yami was going to be there, too. Yami was the only one to fully accept him, besides Ryou and maybe Yugi. Ryou because he was his hikari, and Yugi because he was Yugi. That day's attack was different from anything they'd ever encountered. The person wanting the power of the millennium items had powers of his own. Not only that, but he controlled a whole army of Shadow Monsters - creatures summoned from the Shadow Realm. Not duel monsters, but monsters made of the Shadows. They _were _Shadows of the Shadow realm. Bakura, Marik, and Yami had fought hard, very, very hard, to protect not only the items but their hikaris as well. Even the hikaris were forced to get involved, summoning shields to protect themselves and their friends. They were all fighting. Until that final moment when it all ended…

_"Bakura, you idiot, _move!_" _

_Bakura turned around to see a huge Shadow Monster, the leader of army who only obeyed its summoner, right behind him. If those hideous things could smile, this one sure did. Bakura couldn't run. His leg had been wounded. He'd never have been able to escape. He shut his eyes, hoping death would come quickly and painlessly. _

_But the expected death blow never came. There was a huge blast, a defining explosion, and something fell heavily on top of him, knocking him to the ground and back a few feet. _

_"Yami!" he heard someone scream._

_"They're running! Ha! Look at the f--ing things run! Once their leader is dead, they've got no order! All brawn and no brain! Stupid monsters!"_

_Bakura was gasping, the weight of whatever was on top of him making it impossible for him to move. Then the weight was lifted, and someone rolled him onto his back. _

_"Bakura? 'Kura-kun, are you ok?"_

_Bakura opened his eyes to see Ryou bending over him, worry was clearly written on his face, and his eyes were shining with tears. _

_"What happened?" Bakura croaked. His throat was caked with dust._

_"Yami saved you. He jumped in front of the blow and did something…reflected it, I think… and the monster exploded and he collapsed!" Unable to contain his dammed up tears any longer, Ryou started to cry. "I think it took all of his energy, and he got hit by the explosion…"_

_Bakura looked over to see Yugi crouched over his yami's limp and bloody body. "Yami! Yami wake up! Yami! Don't die, please!" the small teen was screaming, over and over, while tears ran down his face in streams. _

_Looking at Yami's wrecked body, Bakura suddenly felt the need to throw up, which was unnatural. He, of all people, should be used to blood and death. But there was something different this time. Because this time, as he turned around and avoided the terrible scene, Bakura knew that the person lying dead on the ground wasn't some stranger, or an enemy ,as it usually was, but a friend. A friend who had sacrificed his own life, so that he might live…_

_He forced the tears back. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't!_

The summoner of the Shadow Monsters had disappeared and had never again been seen. Smart guy. The next time they met, Bakura would _slaughter_ him!

_I wish you were here, Yami. You always had an answer to everything. Ha. Look at me. I'm going soft._

He moaned, and shook his head. Sleep was tugging at him, inviting him into its arms.


	7. Worth

**Chapter 6**

_"Worth"_

When Bakura woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed. His memories last night were forgotten, and he was full of energy, waiting to tackle this new day.

He stretched, sat up, and was about to leave when he felt something beside him stir.

Looking down, he saw Shadow curled up against him. The child yawned, and rubbed his eyes sleepily, having been woken up by Bakura's movements.

"Why are you here?" the teen asked, surprised.

Shadow looked up, and crawled onto his lap. The child grabbed a fistful of the thin tee-shirt Bakura had slept in and cocked his head questioningly at the older boy.

"Ok, ok, I get it. You like it with me. I'm flattered. Now let go, I'm not going to the bathroom with you!" Bakura sighed, though the smile that had appeared on his face softened his rather rudely-spoken words.

Shadow obediently released the teen. Bakura set the boy on the floor, and swung himself off the bed, heading for the bathroom. When he came back out, washed and dressed, he found the kid sitting on the floor in front of the door, patiently waiting for him.

Bakura shook his head, not sure rather to feel annoyed or pleased. He settled for a mixture of both. "Let's go get you dressed."

Over the few next weeks, Bakura and Shadow literally moved into the Kaiba Mansion. In his own defense, Bakura told Seto that it would be easier to raise Shadow with both of them, and that since Shadow had already gotten used to his new home, it would be unwise to move him to new surroundings. Bakura used that first week to figure out everything that Shadow would need, and there was quite a lot. Not that it mattered; after all, he was sure that Seto (who did the actual shopping) was happy to pay the bill.

By the end of the first week, a routine had been more or less established. They woke up at around nine, got dressed, and ate breakfast, all the usual stuff. Then came "Activity time," lunch, more "Activity time", dinner, and "quite time", then bed.

Ever since that first morning, Seto had refused to let Bakura anywhere near the kitchen appliances. Instead, he cooked for them all. He had fired his cook when he graduated, preferring to make his own food. This was a decision that all his friends wondered about, but no one had yet to ask him about it, fearing, no doubt, for their heads that Seto would undoubtedly bite off it they asked about such a personal decision. Shadow continued to find new experiences in store for him at the dinner table. Pancakes, orange juice, bacon, chocolate milk, eggs…the list went on and on. It was safe to say that the mealtimes were his favorite times of the day. There was only one food he wouldn't touch, and that was oatmeal. The first – and last – time Seto tried serving that, he gave it a disgusted look, and turned to Bakura, (who doubled as his high chair) with a look that said, "If you expect me to eat this, you've got another thought coming." He then folded his arms and refused to look at the food in front of him. He stopped sulking only when Seto took the offending food away and replaced it with Jell-O.

"Activity time" was what Seto dubbed the time the three of them spent catching Shadow up on all the things he had missed. It usually involved a lot of Mokuba's old toys. Shadow was especially fascinated with puzzles, and good at them too. Before long, he had solved all of the ones in the house (with help from both his house-mates), and Seto had to go buy some more. He took the child and Bakura with him. It was clearly the first time Shadow had seen anything like the huge mall that they went to, as he refused to get out of the car, and Bakura had to carry him the whole time they were shopping. No power on earth could've made him let go of the teen for he was very convinced that he was literally clinging on for dear life.

"Quiet time" came after dinner; it was a time to wind down after the long day. This was when they (or at least, Bakura and Shadow) sprawled on the couch and watched whatever TV happened to be on and read the books that had once belonged to Mokuba.

Bakura had quickly figured out that Shadow liked sleeping with him. If they started in separate rooms, they would be in the same one by the time dawn came. So rather than have Shadow coming to him in the middle of the night, Bakura just resigned himself to sharing a bed with the kid.

Shadow quickly grew to love bedtime stories. But only the ones Bakura told, about the adventures of Prince Atemu. Once, the teen tried reading something out a book. Halfway through the first paragraph, Shadow stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. "What is it?" he had asked, puzzled. Shadow had shaken his head, pointing at the book. "You don't like it?" Shadow confirmed this with a nod. So he had gotten up and found another book. Again, Shadow stopped him. This was repeated several times before Bakura finally understood that the boy wanted his usual story about Atemu. (Shadow had than given the teen a look that could only be described as condescending, plainly stating, "Took you long enough")

It didn't take Bakura and Seto long to figure out that Shadow had quite a few rules, and unspoken though they may be, they had to be followed. He would only be carried by Bakura. Not even Seto was given permission to carry him around. When the CEO tried, Shadow would retreat right back into his shell.

He must always know where Bakura was at all times, and, if possible, he should also be able to see Bakura at all times. The first and last time Bakura had left the child home with Seto to go somewhere, Seto had to call him on his cell and inform him that the boy was practically going crazy trying to find him. When Bakura had returned, Shadow gave him the silent treatment for an hour, until Bakura had finally broken down and apologized, at which the young boy gave the teen a look which clearly stated, "Don't let it happen again," and then promptly latched onto the older boy's pants.

No one - and especially no adults - was allowed to touch him besides Bakura and Seto. This they found out during a trip to the mall, when they were shopping for new clothes. When the saleslady had tried to measure him for his size, he had started to whimper and press against Bakura. When the lady finally made contact with him, he had suddenly gone limp, retreating behind his protective walls.

Raising such a demanding child was no doubt a challenge, especially for the inexperienced Bakura, but it came with many rewards. Shadow's expression when he encountered something new and exciting was worth any amount of time it took to break through to him, and the grateful look in his eyes made up of all the difficulties they had faced.

As the weeks progressed, Shadow became noticeably more relaxed, though he was no less dependent on Bakura. On a good day, he might even allow Seto to hold him for a while. But, although they had made much progress, there were still two things little Shadow had yet to do. One was talk - he made various sounds to help him out but had never once said a word. The other was smile. Other expressions he had shown, but never once had the others seen him smile.

During "activity time" on a quiet Friday, almost three months since Bakura had adopted Shadow, came a huge breakthrough.

They were in one of the many studies in the Kaiba Mansion. It was quite dusty; even Seto hadn't been in here for years. Said CEO was currently examining an old computer in the room, trying to find out what model it was, and wondering how it would be worth twenty years from now. Bakura was leafing through an old book halfheartedly, when Shadow tugged on his sleeve.

Glancing up through his bangs, he asked, "What it is?"

In reply, Shadow pointed to a cloth covered object in a corner that Bakura had failed to notice upon entry.

After three months, Bakura and Seto had become familiar with the many gestures and expressions the child used instead of words, and he replied as though the child had spoken his inquiry out loud. "Yes, what is that? Let's go see, why don't we," he said, climbing to his feet. He went over to the object in question with Shadow right behind him. Pulling off the cloth cover with a flourish that sent up a plum of dust, he revealed an old grand piano.

There was a few silent seconds in which Bakura and Shadow stood staring at the instrument, Shadow in fascinated wonder, Bakura in confusion. "Seto, why in the world do you have a piano in here?"

"I do?" the CEO replied, looking up. "Well, what do you know? I do."

Bakura snorted, lifting up the cover to reveal the slightly yellowed keys.

"This thing is ancient," he muttered. Bending down, he lifted Shadow onto the wooden piano bench. "This is called a piano. You press the keys and a sound comes out." Bakura informed the boy, who was studying the instrument with a blank look on his face. "Watch." The teen slammed a fist onto a random spot on the set of keys. A booming, ear-wrecking sound was emitted. Shadow let out a yelp and clapped his hands over his ears, and Bakura jumped back in shock, staring at the piano as though afraid it might reach out and bite him.

"Idiot!" Seto roared. "What are you trying to do!"

"Shut up," Bakura scowled, flushing red with hard-concealed embarrassment.

Shadow, who had by now more or less recovered from the assault on his ears, turned around and glared accusingly at the white-haired teen, looking rather like a parent about to scold a silly child.

"Oh, be quiet. You try it," Bakura snapped, feeling bit hurt. It wasn't _his_ fault the damned oversized piece of wood wouldn't obey him!

Shadow turned back to the piano, and, having learned a lesson from Bakura to _not_ slam anything, gently pressed a key down. This time, a soft note floated into the air.

"Much better," Seto sighed. Shadow cocked his head slightly, listening to the result of his trial, and pressed down another key, and another.

"If you can press them in the right order, you can make a song," Seto commented. He ruffled through a shelf for a minute, while Shadow continued his little experimentation, and came back with some sheet music, which he showed to the little boy. "See? If you can learn to read these notes, you can make beautiful music from the piano."

Shadow traced a finger over the music, and looked questioningly at the CEO.

"I can read it. I wasn't given a choice of rather I wanted to learn or not." Seto sat down and lifted Shadow onto his lap. Placing the music in its place on the rack, he started to work his way through the piece.

Shadow watched, eyes wide, as gradually, note by note, a melody immerged.

The piece was an easy one, and when Seto had finished it, Bakura started to applauded. "Encore!" he yelled, grinning like a madman. "Here we see the next Mooart."

Shadow looked at him like he was beginning to seriously question his sanity, and Seto shot him a disgusted look. "I believe you meant 'Mozart' genius. Don't listen to him, Shadow, he's crazy."

Shadow decided to forget he had ever heard Bakura say anything. Instead, he turned back to the instrument before him and put his hands on the once-white keys. Turning around, he gazed up at Seto with a pleading look in his eyes.

Seto grinned. "I'm no teacher, but here. We can play a short piece."

He took one of Shadows hands, and put the forefinger to a key. Note by note, he guided a melody into existence. It was "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Bakura started to hum along behind them. How did he know the song in the first place? Thank Ryou, who had once gotten the song stuck in his head and managed to sing it one hundred and seventy-two times in a row before Bakura had finally reached his breaking point, cracked, and furiously kicked him out of the house, forcing the hikari to spend the night and Yugi's place.

When the last note had faded, Bakura let out a whoop, and grabbed the child, swinging him up into the air. "You're even better than Seto! You're talented! Hey, Kaiba, we should let him take lessons. And you can play Mossart, and Box, and Batovan!"

Seto let out a groan and put a hand to his forehead, wondering what in the world he was doing living with and breathing the same air as a lunatic.

And then, still being swung around in the air by and over-excited Bakura who had no doubt drank way too much coffee during breakfast, Shadow slowly smiled. It certainly started out as a very uncertain smile at first, as if his muscles didn't quiet remember how to pull off this peculiar expression, but it gained confidence until the child was grinning happily. His crimson eyes were dancing with laughter, and as Bakura tossed him into the air, his smile grew wider still.

As Bakura pulled the child close, he could not help but grin also. There was no doubt that he was being blessed with the presence of the sweetest smile on the face of this earth, he thought, looking at the little boy admiringly. "You're beautiful when you smile, Shadow-chan. How about you do it more often, huh?"

At that, Shadow's smile became a bit sheepish, and he buried his head in Bakura's shirt.

The teen chuckled. On the spur of the moment, he bended down and whispered in the boy's ear, "I love you, Shadow-chan."

Who knows what was going on in Shadow's mind just then. Perhaps he was just caught up in all the excitement. Perhaps he was finally ready to take the first step in forgiving the world of its wrongs against him, and open up to these people who had grown to mean so much to his young heart. In any case, at that moment, he opened his mouth and spoke for the first time in many years.

"I wuv you too, 'tou-sama."

His answer was soft, and at first, Bakura wasn't sure if hadn't imagined it. But when he looked at Seto, his saw a look of shock on the CEO's face, and knew it hadn't been wistful imagination.

Bakura looked down again, and hugged Shadow closer. The child's words had been a bit tentative and rusty, the result of having not said a single word for ages, but that would no doubt be cured with time.

"Otou-sama?"Bakura asked, suddenly registering what the child snuggled up against him had said.

Shadow nodded.

And as Bakura gazed down at the little boy, his heart told him that that single moment alone was worth everything.


	8. Connections

**Chapter 7**

_"Connections"_

"Summer again," Bakura murmured to himself, gazing out the window at the bright world outside. The bugs were going crazy, zipping every which way, quite probably due to the thousands of flowers blooming in every possible nook and cranny. Quite a few of them flew right into the window with slight tapping noises, before dizzily spiraling off. A bee was currently attacking the glass, trying to figure out how to get into the house.

Rolling his eyes at the 'idiotic incest', Bakura turned his eyes back to the scene in front of him. Shadow was sprawled on the floor at his feet, flipping through a picture book. The child was a quick learner: he was already able to read simple books on his own. When he had first arrived, he hadn't even known basic hiragana.

_I can't believe it's already been half a year,_ Bakura mused, gazing fondly at the little boy. Shadow had grown a lot over the last six months. Not much physically – he was still on the small side – but he had started to really open up. He still didn't speak much, and he would probably never be the talkative type, but at least he wasn't relying completely on gestures anymore. His smiles came more often, and to hear him laugh was no longer an once-in-a-lifetime experience. His interests had broadened. Seto had even started teaching him to play the piano. It was a sight Bakura enjoyed so much he had started to sneak a camera into the room to snap some photos – some that would look great in his secret photo album, others that would be great blackmail material against Kaiba.

The phone rang, effectively ending the peaceful silence, and Bakura groaned. Seto, who usually answered the phone, had gone on a week long business trip, leaving the house to Bakura and Shadow. Bakura had always hated answering the 'talking machine'.

Sighing in resignation, he stood up, deciding that he had a moral obligation to stop that terrible, shrill noise as soon as possible. As he tried to take a step, he discovered that his toes were trapped. "Shadow-chan, I swear I'm going to trip over you one of these days."

Shadow looked up, and, taking the hint, obediently rolled out of the way. Standing, he followed Bakura to the phone, rather like a very love-struck little puppy.

Picking up the receiver, Bakura growled none too pleasantly, "Who is it and what do you want?"

That tone of voice was usually replied very rapidly with a monotonous dial tone, clearly showing that the unfortunate receiver had hung up rather quickly. It was also the reason Seto had forbidden him to answer the phone when he was around. So he was very surprised when he actually heard a human voice talking back to him.

"Hey, 'Kura! I figured you'd be here," said a very bubbly, girlish-but-obviously-male voice that sound very familiar.

Bakura's eyes widened dramatically, much to Shadow's interest. "Ryou?" he gasped, clutching the receiver tightly, as if afraid it would fly away of its own accord.

"The one and only!" the hikari replied brightly, and Bakura could practically see his huge, sly grin over the phone.

"Where are you?" Bakura demanded. "Why haven't you called? It's been ages!"

Ryou giggled rather childishly, delighted that he was getting such an animated reaction from his yami. Of course, it wasn't exactly _hard_ to get Bakura riled up, but that did not make doing it any less enjoyable. "It's nice to know you care. I'm in England, remember? I've been there since graduation! And I have too called, just not recently." Without giving Bakura a chance to interrupt, he surged right on to his next point. "Hey, guess what?"

"I hate that stupid question, and you know it," Bakura snapped, doing his best to hide his joy at hearing from his hikari. He had a soft spot for the boy, but no one needed to hear him admit that

Ryou laughed, not taking any offense at the rough tone. He knew his yami better than anyone, and he could tell exactly what the spirit was thinking, even from so far away. "You haven't changed a bit, have you? You and your pride. I'm coming for a visit!"

Thus, Bakura was rendered speechless. Ryou had years ago came up with the idea that perhaps he should publish a book. "How to make your personal tomb-robber-spirit-of-the-millennium-ring so shocked he actually shuts up". He actually had the first half mapped out, before Bakura found out about it and made him abandon the idea. Ryou had figured it would make great entertainment material, even if most people wouldn't find it too practical.

"What's wrong, Kura?" Ryou asked, oh-so-innocently, knowing perfectly well that he had effectively sent the yami into a temporary state of shock. Point number twenty-nine in the above mentioned book: 'leave for a year or more and then call up out of the blue and tell you yami you're coming home'.

"When?" the poor spirit managed to ask, though Einstein himself wouldn't have been able to figure out how he managed to process anything through his numb mind.

"Tomorrow!" Ryou replied happily.

"Ryou, how many times have I told you that I. HATE. SURPRISES!"

Ah, yes. This here was a perfect example of 'Tell your yami about big plans only at the last minute in an innocent voice, as if they should have guessed what ridiculous thing you were planning', which happened to be point number thirty-three in his other book, "How to surprise your yami", co-authored by Yugi Motou. This one had actually been started on final draft before both Yami and Bakura had found out about it, stole the manuscript, shredded it, and burned it piece by piece.

Having known perfectly well that that was going to happen, Ryou was able to breeze right through. "I know! So, I'll be at your house at 11:30pm tomorrow night, okay? It's just down the street form Seto's right?"

"No! I'm staying at Seto's!"

"Why? Did you burn your house down?"

Bakura sweat dropped. "What do you take me for, hikari?"

"Okay, that is a perfectly valid question! You can't cook a meal without blowing something up! Remember the numerous microwaves we've had?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "I've gotten better!"

"Right. I guess we should just be thankful that the rich Seto Kaiba is our friend, huh?"

"Actually, Seto isn't here right now… he'll be back in a week."

"He left YOU all alone in his house? Has he gone mad?" Ryou gasped, in a manner that suggested Bakura had just informed him that the world was subject to end at any moment.

"I'm not a child! I can take care of myself!" Bakura replied hotly, nursing his injured pride.

"Sure, but can you do it without stealing or setting the town on fire?"

"…"

Without missing a beat, Ryou flew on. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kura-kun! This long distance call isn't cheap. Bye, then, alright?"

"Er…yeah, hikari, see you tomorrow…"

And Ryou hung up.

Bakura stared at the phone. "Where did he learn to be so confident…"

There was a pause.

"…ok, so he hasn't changed at all. It's probably me that's going soft."

"Otou-sama."

Bakura looked down. _And I bet I know the reason for this softness…_

"Yes, Shadow-chan?"

"Who's dat?" Shadow asked, pointing at the phone.

"A friend. Sometimes, more of an annoyance than anything else. C'mon, kiddo, lets go get lunch. Then we'll clean the house."

"Why?"

"So I can show Ryou that I can take care of myself! I don't need Seto to baby-sit me!" Bakura replied with a huff.

Entering the kitchen, Bakura opened the fridge and took out some bread. "How about toast?" He walked over to the toaster that Seto had brought as a replacement for the one he had destroyed six months ago. "Now, how to work this thing…"

He was about to put the bread in the machine when Shadow tugged on his pants. "Otou-sama."

"Not now, Shadow-chan. I'm trying to figure this thing out."

"But Otou-sama. Seto-ojichan said ta tell you he had our meals al'weady, 'n you're not 'loud ta touch t'pwaiances."

Bakura looked down. This was new to him. "Where?"

"Fwige" Shadow replied, pointing.

Bakura went to the refrigerator again and opened it. Sure enough, there were a couple of bento boxes, with a note from Seto, that he had overlooked the first time.

Bakura,

Here are your meals. They are ready to eat, and do not need to be reheated. DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ANY OF THE KITCHEN APPLIANCES! IF ANYTHING IS MISSING AND/OR "DEACTIVATED" WHEN I COME BACK YOU ARE DEAD!

Have a nice time!

Seto

PS. I'm watching you. Shadow promised to keep an eye on you for me. Don't you try anything, you hear?

Bakura looked down at Shadow and scowled. "Traitor."

Shadow's eyes filled up as he gave the teen his best puppy-dog eyes.

Bakura sighed. Even Yugi's puppy eyes couldn't beat Shadow's. "Oh, c'mon, you know perfectly well I'm not mad at you."

Shadow grinned, his eyes drying up miraculously fast. He pointed to the bento boxes. "Wunch, Otou-sama?"

"Yes, lunch. Y'know, those things would taste better heated…"

"Seto-ojichan said no."

Bakura growled, disgusted that Seto had turned his sweet little Shadow-chan against him. "I can handle a stupid microwave!"

"Y'made t' las' one go on fire."

"That was an accident!"

Shadow gave him a look that plainly said, "Yeah, right."

"Doesn't anyone around here trust me?" Bakura moaned pitifully.

a/a/a/a/a/

"He should be here any minute," Bakura muttered, pacing back and forth, wearing a path in the spotless carpet. Shadow watched him from his spot on the floor. "Why you nervous, Otou-sama?" the boy asked in his soft voice.

"What if something happened? He said 11:30 p.m. That was two whole minutes ago!"

Shadow raised his eyebrows, managing to look scarily like a miniature version of Yami himself. "He reawy 'portan', yes, 'tou-sama?"

"Yeah, okay, yeah. Don't tell anyone I said this, but he's like a kid brother to me. An annoying and sometimes very pesky brother, but nevertheless…"

The teen sighed, and glanced at the clock again. "It's been five minutes since 11:30 now. Where is he!"

"He's fine, 'tou-sama"

Bakura looked at him. "How do you know?"

"I don't," the boy replied, shrugging.

"Oh, that's comforting. You're sounding more like Seto everyday."

"Seto-ojichan says 'm soun'in' more like YOU 'vry day."

Bakura was about to come up with some wisecrack retort, but the doorbell rang at that exact moment, causing him to abandon _that_ idea and fly to the door, before nearly taking it off its hinges.

Standing outside was his hikari. Standing up straight, Bakura realized with shock that they were about the same height. Clearly Ryou had done some growing in the last six years. But other than that, he was pretty much the same as Bakura remembered him. This Ryou was just a bit more…grown-up. More manly. His hair was still the same, just a bit neater. His eyes still sparkled, no less innocent than they had been.

"Bakura!" Ryou beamed as a greeting.

The spirit grabbed him into a hug.

They stayed in their embrace until Bakura finally seemed to realize what he was doing, and stumbled backwards a few steps.

Ryou grinned like the Cheshire cat. "So, you missed me?"

Bakura blushed, and muttered something incoherent. Clearing his throat, he said. "Well, why don't you come in? It's late, you should get some rest."

"Oh, yes, father," the hikari smirked, pulling behind him two suitcases, which he deposited once inside the door.

Bakura felt something hanging onto his jeans, and turned around. Shadow was peeking shyly at Ryou, who still hadn't noticed him, from safely behind the spirit's legs.

Bakura smiled. "C'mon Shadow-chan. He's not gonna hurt you."

Shadow didn't look convinced.

"Who're you talking to?" Ryou asked, turning to face him.

"Oh yes, you haven't been introduced. Ryou, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine."

"Who? Where?"

"Can't you see him? He's right here."

Bakura lifted the child up, letting Shadow snuggled up against him. The child pressed his face against Bakura's shoulder, before turning his head to look at Ryou.

Ryou was staring at the boy with eyes as wide as full moons. His mouth was open, and he seemed to be at a loss for words.

Bakura grinned. Revenge was sweet. This would get Ryou back for sicking this visit on him with so short a notice. "Ryou, this is Shadow. Shaodw-chan, say hi to Ryou."

Shadow gave him a doubtful look.

"Be polite, Shadow-chan. Ryou's not going to bite."

The child looked back at the white-haired hikari. "Hawo," he muttered, pressing closer against Bakura.

"Hi," Ryou said, returning the greeting, coming out of his shock. He moved forward slowly. "What's your name, little one?"

"Sh-Shwadow," the boy whispered, so softly that Ryou had to strain to hear.

"He's a bit shy," Bakura said cheerfully. "But don't worry, he'll get used to ya."

Ryou smile softly, and Shadow, still pressed tightly against Bakura, shyly ducked his head, peering at this friendly stranger from behind his thick bangs..

"C'mon upstairs. I'll show you your room." Bakura gestured to the stairs.

Ryou nodded, and the three of them trooped up the staircase. "You can have the one next to mine. Settle in, make yourself at home. I'm putting Shadow to bed." With that, he disappeared into the neighboring room.

Ryou shrugged. _Things have certainly gotten interesting around here. Bakura looking after a kid. Who'd have guessed? The Bakura I remember would've slaughter anyone who got in his way, no questions asked._

Liar! I would not have! Give me more credit, hikari. I'd have taken their money and possibly tortured them first/

Ryou jumped, having just noticed that the familiar link between he and his yami had appeared again. Ryou grinned. He hadn't realized he'd missed the link this much. /You heard that/

/Loud and clear/ The spirit gave a mental grin. /Hate to admit it, but I missed having you around./

/Awwww! I'm touched/ Ryou laughed. Bakura had definitely changed, for the better, in his opinion. /Used to be you'd never admit something like that./

/Yeah…/

There was a moment's pause.

/Bakura/

/Funny how much changes with time/ the yami answered gruffly with a sigh. /Now get out of my head, I have to tell this kid a story./

/Wha…/ Bakura shut off the link before Ryou could finish his question. "Some things will never change," the hikari muttered, starting to unpack.

Fifteen minutes later, Bakura reappeared. Ryou was relaxing on the bed. The elder flopped beside him. "So, what's been going on?"

"Not much. Graduated from college, decided I'd come visit you before going to look for a job. Now you, I can tell, have a lot to catch me up on."

Bakura gave his aibou an innocent look. "I have no idea what you mean."

Ryou returned with a glare.

The yami laughed at the expression which, in his opinion, only served to make the kid that much cuter. "Fine. Basically, to make a long story short, Shadow's an orphan I met and adopted six months ago."

"Ahh. I was wondering where he came from." Ryou looked thoughtful for a moment. "He's been hurt pretty bad."

Bakura blinked. "It's still that obvious, huh?"

Ryou smiled. "Something about the way he reacted to me tipped me off. What kind of name is 'Shadow'? Although it does suit him pretty nicely."

His yami shrugged. "He didn't have a name. The kids at the orphanage dubbed him 'Shadow', and it stuck, I guess."

"So what's his last name? Sagara?"

"Well, yeah. Like mine."

"Have you thought about a middle name?"

Bakura stared. "Only you, aibou, will think up something like that."

"Why? It's a perfectly good question."

"Fine. What do you suggest?"

"Hmmm…" Ryou looked thoughtful. "I'll think about that one. A bit off the subject but…you have noticed how he resembles…well, you know…"

"Yami? Yeah, but looks are about all they have in common," Bakura said dismissively. He had thought a lot about that same topic, and had convinced himself that Shadow's resemblance to Yami was nothing more than a freaky coincidence.

"Oh, really?"

"Well, Shadow does have a knack for puzzles, but what does that prove? He's probably just an ordinary kid."

"Bakura, open your mind. I don't know Shadow at all, but for all you know his inborn personality could have been very similar to Yami's."

"Exactly what are you suggesting?"

"That he could be…oh…I dunno, maybe a reincarnation?" Ryou frowned slightly.

"Of Yami? Nobody up there would be so cruel as to return his spirit to life, aibou. He's already had more than enough time upon this earth. Think about it. After all that he's already done, what could be the point of making him come back again?"

"It's still possible. You can't deny that Shadow looks very much like Yami…"

"Hmph. I'm still not convinced."

If irony could choose its victims, Bakura would no doubt be on the top of its list. He and Ryou had not continued talking for more than three minutes when a cry jerked both their gazes to the wall which the neighboring room – the one Shadow was in – shared. The cry was one of fear, and it was followed by more crying and whimpering.

Bakura sprang up, and bolted out of the room. Ryou followed him, though the light stopped at the door whereas the yami sprinted towards his young charge. Skidding to a stop beside the bed, Bakura scoped the child up into his arms and sat down on the covers. "Shh, Shadow-chan, it's all right. It's just a dream. I'm right here, ok? Everything's ok, kiddo, calm down." He patted the child on the back, rocking slightly back and forth, hoping to soothe the boy. "It's okay, baby, everything's okay. I'm here, things are going to be just fine." He continued talking quietly, comforting the small boy. Slowly, Shadow's whimpering faded and he came back to the conscious world. He opened his eyes, and they gradually came into focus.

Upon spotting Bakura, his bright crimson eyes filled up again. He grabbed the elder's shirt with both his hands, and pressed his face against the material, crying. "Otou-sama, Otou-sama," he repeated over and over, like a mantra, his voice muffled by the thin fabric he had buried his face in.

'Shh, it's over now, it's ok. I'm right here, Shadow-chan, don't worry." He hugged the child close, waiting patiently until the boy's sobs subsided into small sniffs and an occasional whimper. "Are you ok now?" Bakura asked, cradling the child in his strong arms.

Shadow nodded. "'tou-sama. I was scared!" he whispered, pressing as close as he could get against Bakura's body. His words were more slurred then usual, but still more or less understandable.

"What was it?" Bakura asked, feeling curious. It was the first time Shadow had had a nightmare that he knew of.

Shadow didn't hesitate to tell him, desperate to get it off his shoulders. "There was a monster, 'n it was all b-big 'n black. It was…it was made of…of _darkness_, n' it was shawped wike this…this scawy thing. Wike a huge bear or dog, with huge spiwkes on it head. There were wisps of shawdowy smoke comin' offa it. Its eyes were all rwed. It had these wong cwaws, and some cuffs 'round 's ankwls with browken chwains 'tached" Shadow sniffed, so shaken that he was tripping over practically every word. "There were hwuge bwack wings on it shoulders, 'n it got this weird rwed eye thingy on it fore'ead. 'N, 'n…" the child bit his lip and started to cry again. "'n it was crowched o-over you, 'n you couldn't rwun 'cause your lweg was bleedin' and it was gonna k-k-kill you…" he let out a small cry and buried his face in Bakura's chest again, sobbing.

The spirit could only stare in shock at the child in his arms. _No way…that's impossible!_ But it wasn't. The truth was that Shadow had just described the very monsters he had face seven years before. The ones that had killed Yami and badly wounded both himself and Marik. He had no doubt that the monster Shadow had seen in the dream was the same one that had been about to obliterate him as he stood, wounded and unable to run, and had instead succeed in killing Yami. The child had described that hideous creature very accurately. And that scene the boy mentioned, with he, Bakura, at the mercy of that beast…there was no two ways about it. Shadow had somehow relived that one moment of the attack.

"Shadow…" Bakura whispered, still feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Shadow-chan, it's all right, it's over now. Go back to sleep, kiddo. I'll be coming to bed shortly."

"No! Don't weave, Otou-sama…"

"I'll stay with you till you fall asleep, ok? I promise I'll come to bed soon."

Shadow nodded reluctantly, and allowed Bakura to tuck him back into bed. Within a few minutes, the child had fallen asleep again, apparently more tired than he had thought.

After making sure that the boy was soundly asleep, Bakura stood up. Ryou, who had stayed by the door all this time, straightened up and followed his yami back to the room next door.

"Bakura…" the hikari started.

"If you're going to say 'I told you so', save it," Bakura cut him off.

Ryou sighed. "We should really get to bed…"

"Yeah…" Bakura sighed. "But first…ok, so say you're right about the whole reincarnation thing. Seems there's no denying it now. So, the question remains-why is he back?"

Ryou shrugged. "Dunno, "Kura-kun. I'll sleep on it, and I suggest you do the same. Don't worry, everything will turn out ok."

"You would think so. But then, you were never the type to worry too much." The yami sighed again. "I'm going to bed. Good night, and see you tomorrow, aibou-chan."

Ryou smile at the use of his old nickname. "Goodnight, Kura-kun. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Japanese note: 'Ojichan' 'uncle'


	9. Reunited

**Chapter 8**

_"Reunited"_

Sleep did a pretty good job of driving away all the worries form Bakura's mind. When he woke up, he had all but forgotten what had gotten him so worked up the previous night. Shadow, too, was almost back to normal, although he was quieter then usual that day. Whether that was due to the aftermaths of his nightmare or to the presence of a stranger in the house, Bakura couldn't tell. Probably both.

As the next couple of days progressed, the whole "reincarnation problem", as Bakura dubbed it, was pushed out of the way into a corner of his mind. As long as no problems arose because of it, there was no point in worrying about it. So the white-haired yami spent the time getting Shadow acquainted with Ryou. The child warmed up to Ryou much faster than he had with Seto. That was a good sign, Bakura decided. It meant that the boy was no longer quite so weary around strangers. Of course, the fact that this stranger was a close friend of Bakura's couldn't have hurt either.

"Ryou nii-chan, will you pway with me?" Shadow asked, six days after Ryou first arrived, holding up a 100-piece puzzle.

Ryou grinned. "Why sure, Shadow-chan. But where's Bakura?"

"He's tryin' ta work t' come-pew-ta again," Shadow replied, stumbling over the big word. The child sat down on the floor and opened the box, spilling the puzzle pieces all over the carpeted floor.

Ryou winced. "Again?" Last time, his yami had almost broken the monitor by throwing a book at it in frustration.

"Uh-huh. He says he'll get it rwight th's time," the boy said, starting to flip the overturned pieces over while locating the side pieces. "He says not ta disturb him."

"Oh. Ok, then. I just hope he doesn't break anything," Ryou muttered, sitting down on the floor and starting to help Shadow. "Shadow-chan, how about we move to the table? It'll make it easier to put this thing together."

"'k," the little boy replied amiably, scooping the pieces back into the box.

The two were half way through the puzzle when a crash sounded from the computer room upstairs. It was followed by several thumps and…interesting…noises, and muffled yelling.

"Uh-oh," Shadow commented, gazing towards the direction of the sound.

"You're right. It does sound like an uh-oh," Ryou sighed, pushing himself up. He offered Shadow a hand. "C'mon. Let's go see what he's gotten himself into this time."

Shadow nodded and took Ryou's hand, following as the man made his way up the stairs. "Bakura?" Ryou called cautiously. He opened the computer room's door slowly, as though afraid something would jump out and bite him. "Is everything alright?"

"DAMN this blasted piece of equipment! Why won't you do ANYTHING I want you to?" Bakura roared. Ryou raised his eyebrows in an undecipherable expression as he watched his yami hopping around the room on his left leg while holding his right, screaming insults and curses in a variety of languages at the "blasted piece of equipment". Namely, the computer. Well, it used to be a computer, anyway. The monitor was across the room from where it had been. The glass was shattered. There was a dent in the wall above it, suggesting that it had been thrown there with great force. The keyboard was snapped in half and lying in the middle of the floor. The mouse was nowhere in sight, and the computer was on its side, severely dented and missing several parts.

"Onii-chan? I think Otou-sama's gone mad…" Shadow whispered, eyes wide as he gazed in awe around the wreckage.

"Oh, he went mad years ago," Ryou mumbled.

"Nani?"

"Nothing, Shadow-chan. Stay here." Ryou sighed, and carefully stepped into the room. "Bakura? HEY! BAKURA!"

"WHAT!" Bakura screamed, rounding on his hikari. "HAVE YOU COME TO TORTURE ME TOO!"

"Calm down, 'kura," Ryou said calmly, holding up a hand. "Take a couple of deep breaths. Breathe. Go to your happy place. That's good. Now tell me, what happened here?"

"Do you really want to know?" the taller teen asked dryly, running a hand through his hair.

Ryou looked around again. "…good point. Ok, go downstairs and cook lunch. I'll clean up." Bakura nodded wearily, and made for the door, but was stopped when Ryou spoke up again. "On second thought, never mind. I'LL cook lunch. YOU clean this up."

Bakura scowled. "You don't trust me. Fine. Be that way."

"Trust has to be earned, Bakura. Have you earned yours today?" Ryou smirked, leaving the room. He offered a hand to Shadow, but the child shook his head, padding towards Bakura. Ryou smiled softly, not taking any offense, and proceeded down the stairs.

Fuming, Bakura poked the broken keyboard with his toe like it was a rotten carcass, a look of pure disgust etched on his face. "Clean this up, he says. Feh. Why don't I just throw it out the window – where it belongs?" He continued mumbling and cursing under his breath, until he felt something wrap around his legs.

Looking down, he saw Shadow blinking up at him with his large crimson eyes. The child had his arms wrapped around the teen's legs in a hug. "You ok now, 'tou-sama?" the boy asked in his soft voice, cocking his head slightly.

Bakura felt an inevitable smile form on his face, the anger instantly melting away. He swung the child up into his arms. "Yeah, kid, I'm fine."

Shadow grinned. "Seto-ojichan ain't gonna be happy 'bout th's."

"Hmph. Probably not. That's alright, he won't notice. We'll think of something to cover it up. He won't be back until…" the yami suddenly paused, his eyes going wide. "…tonight…" he finished faintly.

"Not happy at all, nope," Shadow said, looking around. "'Pew-ta's all browken 'n t' wall's gotta hole innit."

Bakura gulped. "Um…Shadow-chan, d'you think maybe we can say Ryou did it? Or you? He won't kill _you_…"

Shadow frowned. "Me can't throw t' Pew-ta inna t' wall. I don 'fink Onii-chan will do that, neither."

"I'm so dead…" Bakura groaned.

"If ya clean up real nice 'n not do nothin' else, mebbe it won't be too bad," Shadow commented matter-of-factly.

"It's worth a shot…" the spirit sighed. "Listen, kiddo, go help Ryou with lunch. I'll get things…cleaned up."

"OK," Shadow said, being the agreeable boy that he is, and left the room after giving Bakura one last hug.

Surveying the damage, Bakura fingered his ring. "Alright, shadow realm. Get ready for a piece of modern technology."

Ryou had just taken the TV dinners out of the microwave when he heard a series of crashing sounds coming from the staircase. Poking his head out the kitchen door, he saw Shadow in a heap at the foot of the bottom step.

"Oh no, Shadow-chan!" the hikari gasped, hurrying over to the boy's side. "Are you all right?"

"Oww…" the child muttered. To Ryou's surprise, he didn't start crying, or even whimpering.

"What happened?" the hikari asked.

"Twripped."

Ryou smiled softly. "Well, at least you're not hurt. Let's go fix lunch." He gathered the child into his arms, balancing him on one hip, and was about to turn back towards the kitchen.

The phone, of course, chose that moment to ring.

Rolling his eyes, Ryou went and picked up the closest receiver. "Hello?"

A familiar voice answered. "Is Seto Kaiba there?"

Ryou blinked. "Yugi? Is that you!"

"Uh…yes. Who…?"

"It's me! Ryou!"

"Ryou!" Yugi sounded surprised. "So that's why nobody picked up the phone! I've called your house at least fifty times!"

"Well, yes. I came to visit Bakura, and found him living in Kaiba's house, so I moved in here," Ryou explained.

"Why is he living at Kaiba's? Did he burn his house down?"

"Surprisingly, no," Ryou grinned, shifting Shadow to his other arm. "How've you been?"

"Hmm. Wonderful. And you?"

"I've been fine! Seto isn't here right now; he'll be back later today. Why were you looking for him? And for me?"

"Well, it's been six years…" Yugi paused for a second. "I was wondering…if you could all come for a sort of…reunion. Y'know, old friends, catching up…?"

"That's a great idea! But where?"

"My house works."

"That's great, Yugi, but where do you live? You do realize that we may not all be on the same continent?" Ryou asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, yeah, but everyone I've called said they could come. And it's only you, Seto, and Bakura left. I've contacted Joey, Marik, Malik, and Tristan."

"Really? I didn't Malik would've wanted to come…"

"He isn't so bad. So, can you come or not? It wouldn't be the same without you."

"You bet! I wouldn't miss this for the world! Bakura's coming too, don't worry."

"So it's just Seto now. That's great! So I'll call again tonight-"

"Actually, I can just tell him. If you don't get a call from us, he's coming."

"Thanks, Ryou! That'd be great! So, it's exactly three weeks from now. I live in America. In Oregon. You know, the state right above California."

"Really? I can tell we have a LOT of catching up to do…"

Yugi laughed. "Yeah. So, it's 71361 SW Nailenrock Way, Beaverton, OR, 70079. I can meet you guys at the airport, if you want. I'm picking up the others, anyway."

"It's alright. We'll make it," Ryou said, remembering how much Shadow disliked strangers. Speaking of which…he felt an evil grin creeping onto his face as he realized that, ohhhh, it was going to be precious seeing the looks on the others' faces when they caught a glimpse of the child.

"OK then! See you soon, Ryou-kun."

"Same to you. Bye, Yugi!"

Ryou hung up just as Bakura came down the stairs. "Who was that?"

"Yugi. We're going to Oregon in three weeks. I'll go buy our tickets later today," Ryou said happily. He handed Shadow to Bakura to free his hands and finish lunch.

Bakura swung Shadow up into the air and spun him around several times, before dropping the child onto his shoulders. The boy giggled softly. "Where's Oregon?" the yami asked.

"In the United States of America."

"Oh…" pause. "Where's that?"

A crash was heard as Ryou anime-fell.

Later that afternoon, Seto called to tell them that he won't be home for at least another two weeks, as some unexpected problems have arisen ("YES! I'M SAVED") Ryou told him about Yugi's reunion.

"That sounds interesting. I'll go. As a matter of fact, I'll just go straight to his place. I'll see you guys there, all right?"

Of course it was all right.

So that was why, three weeks later, Ryou, Bakura, and Shadow found themselves on a plane bound for the USA.

Shadow wasn't happy about their current situation. He had been terrified at the airport. There were so many people, and Shadow wasn't known to like people. He had refused to leave the car, his eyes filling up with tears as Bakura tried again and again to convince him to leave. At last, an agreement was negotiated, the terms being that Bakura was to carry the child the whole time, and buy him an ice cream cone (two scoops, chocolate), and Shadow wouldn't fuss.

Shadow had his face buried in Bakura's shoulder the whole time in the airport, only lifting his head long enough to finish the promised ice cream. The boy wouldn't even let Bakura go to the bathroom alone, much to Ryou's amusement.

At long last, they were on the plane. Ryou was able to convince Shadow to let Bakura go. The child contented himself with holding Bakura's hand while snuggled up in Ryou's lap. The hikari felt thankful they had been able to get seats together. He wasn't sure how Shadow would've taken it if he had been forced to sit next to a stranger.

"Onii-chan?" Shadow whispered, two hours into the flight. He didn't seem to like speaking in public, and had barely spoken a word since they'd arrived at the airport.

"Yes, Shadow-chan?" Ryou murmured, careful not to wake Bakura, who had fallen asleep. Ryou couldn't blame him; the yami had spent the whole night packing.

"Where we goin'?"

Ryou sighed. "I've explained at least a hundred times, Shadow-chan…"

Shadow frowned. "We gonna see yer old frwends, rwght?"

"Yes, that's right. Our old friends. We haven't seen each other for years."

"'s Seto-ojichan gonna be there? I miss him…"

Ryou smiled. "Yes, kiddo, Seto'll be there. Go to sleep, okay? It'll be hours before we get there."

"Oh. Okay."

The rest of the trip was pretty smooth sailing. Bakura and Shadow woke up when the meals arrived. The plane meal wasn't great. Bakura refused to touch it, but Shadow ate it like nothing was wrong. Even Ryou couldn't finish. However, by the time the attendant came to take their boxes away, all three were empty. Apparently, Shadow had been hungry.

They spent a few hours watching TV, playing cards, tic-tac-toe, and various games that could be played with a pencil and paper. Ryou got out an atlas and spent some time entertaining both Shadow and Bakura with facts about the world. The attendant brought around chips and soda. The rest of the flight was similarly spent.

When they at last reached Portland International Airport, it was five in the morning. Ryou and Bakura were wide awake, suffering from jet-lag, but Shadow was fast asleep. He had the ability to fall asleep almost anywhere, as long as he felt safe. All the activity on the plane and staying awake for most of the long plane ride must have worn him out.

It took more than an hour to get their luggage and rent a car. Shadow somehow slept through it all. It was two hours before they found Yugi's house. By the time they arrived, it was almost eight in the morning.

"I think this is it," Ryou muttered, checking the address again. "71361. Yup, that's it."

"Nice," Bakura yawned. Cars had a way of putting him to sleep, and staying awake for almost the whole ride on the plane was starting to take its toll on his body.

"Yes, it is nice. Big, anyway. Come on, let's go see if we really found them."

"You go first. If it's not them, I don't want to get out of the car."

"Lazy, aren't we?" Ryou said, rolling his eyes. The hikari got out of the car, went to the door, and pushed the bell.

Almost immediately, the door was flung open, and Yugi stood in front of him. The first thing Ryou noticed was that Yugi had grown. Not a whole lot - Ryou was still taller – but the other hikari was almost as tall as Yami had been. Yugi was a lot more grown up, but innocence still sparkled in his eyes, if only a little more…subdued, now that he was older. His hair was still spiked up. Like Ryou, he had grown to be more manly.

"Ryou!" Yugi cried happily in his still perfect native Japanese, throwing his arms around his old friend. Ryou laughed and hugged him back. "It's great to see you, Yugi!"

"Hey Ryou. Had fun at my place?" Seto appeared behind Yugi with the whole gang trailing after him.

Ryou grinned. "Here's a hint: don't go into the computer room."

Seto groaned. "What's that baka done now?"

"Ryou, it's great to see you!" Marik smiled, yanking his fellow hikari into a hug. Joey gave him a slap on his back that could've broken a bone. Tristan settled for a one armed hug. Malik nodded to him as Tea hugged him in turn.

"So, where's Bakura?" Marik asked.

Ryou looked back. "BAKURA! What's keeping you?"

"Stupid seatbelt's stuck!" the yami called back. "Oh wait, never mind! I got it." The door opened and Bakura stepped out. Going around to the back, he opened the door and leaned in.

"What's he doing? We can get the luggage later," Yugi pointed out.

Ryou exchanged an amused look with Seto. "He's not going for the luggage," Ryou said with a smirk.

"He's not? Then what's he need?" Joey asked, confused.

Bakura drew out of the car at that moment, little Shadow in his arms. The boy was now awake, and had latched onto Bakura's shirt at the sight of so many people he didn't know.

"Who's that?" Marik inquired in an incredulous tone. "You trust BAKURA with a child?"

"I heard that!" Bakura replied. "A lot YOU know anyway!"

Marik grinned in return. ""kura's gotten so-oft"

"But who's the kid? Is he Bakura's?" Yugi asked, still confused.

"Legally," Seto answered vaguely. "Get inside. Poor kid doesn't like strangers at all. You must've had a hell of a time at the airport."

"Too true," Ryou sighed, rubbing his eyes. "He's right, guys, best get inside."

Yugi nodded and left with the group trailing behind him, leaving Seto and Ryou at the door.

Bakura came up to them. "Come on, Shadow-chan, it's alright. They're our friends, remember? Look, here's Seto. Say hi to Seto, ok?"

Shadow looked up and, upon seeing Seto, gave a small smile. "Hawo, Seto-ojichan. I misseded ya."

"Missed you too, Shadow-chan. Come in. And, Shadow, the others are really nice. They won't hurt you, okay?" Seto ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

Shadow didn't look really convinced, but gave a slight nod. He cuddle back against Bakura as they went into the living room where everyone else was gathered around chips and soda.

Yugi looked up and smiled. "So, who's the little one?"

Bakura grinned, sitting down on an empty couch. Ryou and Seto settled on either side of him. "Oh yes, you'll need to be introduced. Hang on." He looked down. "C'mon, Shadow-chan. It's all right," the spirit whispered, lifting Shadow up and turning him around so that he faced the group. Shadow didn't like it at all, pressing back up against Bakura with a slight whimper.

The others had clearly seen him for a few second, however, and it was enough. Joey chocked on his chips. Marik and his yami looked stunned, staring at the child's turned back. Tristan was craning his neck to get a better look at the boy. Tea looked about to cry, obviously reliving the attack seven years ago. And Yugi…Yugi was staring at the child with a look of wonder upon his face, fingering the Millennium Puzzle that hung around his neck.

"Aww, Shadow-chan, come on. They won't bite," Bakura whispered pleadingly to the boy, running a hand through the boy's messy hair.

Shadow hesitated, and then complied, slowly turning around to face the people in the room, most of whom were still gawking at him.

Bakura grinned proudly. "Everyone, this is Shadow."


	10. Developement

**Chapter 9**

_"Developement"_

There was a moment of silence in which everyone except Bakura, Seto, and Ryou stared at the child sited on 'Kura's lap. Shadow squirmed under their gazes, obviously uncomfortable. He pressed even closer to Bakura than he already was with a small whimper, averting the prying eyes of the staring group. Bakura wrapped a protective arm firmly around the child, sending a defiant and warning glare over the boy's head.

Tristan shook his head slightly in wonder. "He…he's…" he started, not having gotten Bakura's silent warning.

Yugi, who no doubt _had_ gotten the meaning of Bakura's glare, interrupted before his friend could say anything wrong. "He's adorable," the hikari said with a grin, violet eyes sparkling.

Tristan blinked. "Well, yeah, but he-"

He fell quiet the next moment as Bakura, Ryou, Seto, and Yugi all shot him a fierce glare.

Joey, who had more or less recovered from his shock, cleared his throat. "Well, Bakura, I'd have to say I'd never have thought of YOU being a parent."

Marik leaned back in his seat with a grin. "Yeah. Weren't you the one who managed to blow up four microwaves in ONE afternoon?"

"That was _years_ ago!" Bakura replied indignantly.

"Years and still no improvement, eh, 'Kura?" Ryou said with a teasing smirk.

"Oh, thanks a lot, hikari. Your support means the world to me," Bakura muttered darkly.

"So, umm…how old is he?" Tea asked a bit hesitantly, drawing their attention back to Shadow.

"Six," Bakura replied, stroking the boy's hair comfortingly.

"May I hold him?" Yugi asked, a wistful look appearing in his eyes.

Bakura paused, then shook his head. "He's a bit shy. Perhaps later."

Yugi didn't argue, and Shadow, who had tensed the moment Yugi had voiced his question, relaxed.

"OK, you guys, this is sad," Marik suddenly spoke up. "It's been seven years, and none of us has a wife – or husband, let alone kids. Except _Bakura! _How does THAT work out!"

Everyone exchanged looks.

Joey put his face in his hands. "Showed up by _Bakura._ In _this_ department. Aw man, that's just so…so…"

"Pathetic," Marik finished flatly.

"Speak for yourself," Seto drawled, leaning back into the cushion. "I mean, Shadow-chan is alright, but a wife and kids of my own? No thanks," the CEO shuddered slightly at the thought.

"So you mean you're gonna remain a bachelor for the rest of your life?" Joey asked, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "That's going to break a lot of hearts out there."

"At least if _I _remain single, it'll be because I choose to. If _you_ remain single, it'll be because you had no choice!" Seto replied with a slight growl.

Joey flushed an interesting shade of red.

Marik, seeing an opening, instantly jumped in. "Yeah, Joey, have you even done _it_ once?"

Joey flushed impossibly deeper. "Have _you!"_ he roared.

"Well yeah! Who hasn't after years at college?" Marik laughed.

Everyone else stayed silent…for reason of their own.

Marik looked around. "Aww you guys…don't tell me…"

Malik shook his head. "Only you, hikari, only you. I _told_ you it wasn't normal to you _it _with every girl who so much as blinked at you…"

Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Frisky…"

Ryou leaned over to his yami. "Bakura!" he hissed into the spirit's ear. "S_hadow!"_

Bakura blinked, then jumped up as he realized what Ryou meant. The boy was, after all, only six. "Uh…say, Yugi, how about…umm…a cup of water?" he hurriedly asked, trying to find an excuse to get Shadow out of the room and away from this conversation.

Yugi quickly stood up as he realized what the matter was. "Of course! Follow me."

In the kitchen, Bakura sat down on a stool, settling Shadow on his lap. "So, Yugi…have you had any thoughts about going back to Domino for a visit?" he asked in an attempt to make conversation.

Yugi glanced over from where he was getting the requested glass of water, and smiled. "Yes. Actually, I was hoping we could all go back sometime, together. It'd be more fun with everyone…" he trailed off, and Bakura saw a faraway look come into his eyes.

The yami looked down at the child cuddled up against him. Shadow was falling asleep, a thumb tucked instinctively in his mouth. Bakura smiled softly at that. It was a habit the boy had yet to lose, although he was rather old for it.

Yugi, who had recovered from his brief trip down memory lane, sat down next to him and handed over the glass of water, which Bakura accepted with a murmured thanks.

There was a moment's silence. Then Yugi spoke up. "You've changed, Bakura."

The yami looked up at him with a tiny smile. "Ryou said the same thing. But," his expression changed to a menacing one. "That doesn't mean I'm any less dangerous!"

Yugi chuckled. "Yes, yes, most definitely." The hikari's gaze drifted over to Shadow, who was now fast asleep in Bakura's firm hold. Without warning, his violet eyes clouded over. "I miss him, 'Kura," he whispered, using Ryou's nickname for the spirit. "It's been years, but I still think about him. It like…he won't leave me alone…"

Bakura was slightly taken back. Why was Yugi confiding in _him?_ Joey was his best friend, and Ryou was a fellow hikari who would gladly listen. Why him, of all people?

Unable to keep his curiosity in check, he blurted out his question. "Why are you telling me?"

Yugi looked at him with slightly moist eyes. A sad smile appeared on the hikari's face. "He trusted you, you know. He's always known you had some good in you. He told me. And I never doubted his judgment. When the others talked trash about you, he'd always come to your defense. Did you know that?" Bakura shook his head. "Well, he did. I never could figure it out. But I trusted him. Still do."

Yugi sighed tiredly. "There are times when I get mad at him for leaving. It's selfish, I know, but I just miss him so much…"

"It's always hard to lose someone you care about," Bakura muttered, looking down at the boy sleeping in his lap. "It leaves a wound in you heart, one that doesn't heal no matter how much time passes."

"Shadow-chan's a special child," Yugi grinned, wiping the tears away before things got too depressing. "You picked well."

"Yes, I did. Thank you, by the way, for stopping Tristan earlier. Sometimes, he's just not very bright. I don't want Shadow-chan to have to live knowing about exactly _who_ he is. He's gone through enough. He doesn't need something like that hanging over him."

Yugi nodded in agreement. "But the others, they'll be curious. You'll have some explaining to do."

The white-haired teen snorted. "I don't _have_ to do anything. I do things because I _want_ to, not because I have to!"

The hikari rolled his eyes. "But you _want_ to, right?"

"It's probably the only way to keep them from saying anything reckless," Bakura growled.

Yugi smirked. "Just get it done. Come on, I'll show you your room. You'll be bunking with Ryou, Marik, and Malik, by the way. I don't have enough rooms for everybody, seeing as how Seto quite bluntly requested a room to himself, and Tea _needs_ a room to herself. Joey and Tristan have the smaller guest room. Yours is a big enough room, but there's only one bed, although it is also very big. The rest of you will have to take the air mattress."

"Doesn't matter. I sleep with Shadow-chan anyway. Ryou can sleep with us, no problem. The psychos can take the mattress."

Yugi giggled. "You have no idea how funny it is to hear _you_ calling someone else a psycho."

xxxxxxxx

Bakura sighed, relaxing on the couch with a warm cup of coffee in his hands. He had spent the morning and most of the afternoon catching up with the gang. Everyone had bombarded him, Seto, and even Ryou with questions about Shadow. At last, they had backed off. Yugi had given them a tour of the house and showed them their rooms. The others were currently in the living room, chatting. Bakura was spending some time alone in the den.

Someone opened the door and padded into the room behind him. Bakura didn't turn to find out who it was. He would know soon enough. A moment later, a slight depression formed in the couch beside him, telling him that the person had sat down.

"It's been a while, huh, Bakura?"

Bakura sighed. "Something you want, Malik?"

"Can't two old friends simply talk?" the other yami asked, oh-so-innocently.

The white-haired teen gave a slight growl. "What are you up to now, you psycho?"

Strangely enough, Malik didn't come up with any kind of comeback, as Bakura had expected him to. After a few moments of silence, the spirit of the ring looked up to see just what the other was up to.

What he saw made him instantly drop the defensive walls he had instinctively raised around himself when Malik had entered.

The blond teen was staring at the floor with an expression of something Bakura knew only too well. It was loneliness. As Bakura had found out from first hand experience, the feeling that no one in the world understood you is one of the cruelest and most depressing feelings in the world.

"Malik?" Bakura asked tentatively, well aware that he was now treading into dangerous territory.

"I thought you, of all people, would understand," the other yami muttered.

"I…I don't know what you mean," Bakura said nervously, not used to this kind of behavior from the guy he had always known to be insane, cold, and sadistic, even more so than himself.

"Don't you?" Malik asked. Seeing that Bakura was truly confused, he laughed bitterly. "My, but you're dim. You aren't the only one who was shunned from society, Bakura. You aren't the only one who knows what it truly means to be alone."

Bakura understood what the other was getting at, and, truth be told, did feel a bit ashamed and stupid for not having seen it sooner. "So, you've come to do what? Connect with me? Wanna be friends do ya?" he said sarcastically, putting his walls back up.

"Awww, dammit, Tomb Robber, don't play games with me!" Malik snapped back. "Hell, I don't know why I came here in the first place, bastard! I…" he quieted his voice. "I guess I just wanted someone to talk to, someone who understands what I'm feeling right now. The others out there, they're all talking and socializing. They're a group. I don't feel as if I belong in that group. No body wants me there…except maybe my hikari. Only reason Yugi invited me was because it'd be rude to ask Marik and not me…"

Bakura gulped. He wasn't comfortable with listening to people spill their secrets to him. That was Ryou's job. "You aren't going to do anything…uh…mushy now, are you?"

Malik looked at him strangely. "No. Why would I? Am I the mushy type?"

"Well, that's what they do in the movies and on TV…"

The blond yami just stared at him.

"Never mind," Bakura muttered. "I…uh…well, I'm not that great at talking. Never have been, but, uh…well, I won't mind if you stay in here…"

He was rewarded for this rare bit if kindness. Malik gave him a small, but genuine smile. "Thanks, 'Kura."

xxxxxxx

Shadow woke up late in the afternoon. Opening his eyes, he instantly saw something was wrong. He was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, and Otou-sama was nowhere in sight.

To put it plainly, he was lost.

Panic instantly flared up in him. His first instinct was to hide. Somewhere, anywhere. No one was here to protect him, and he was on foreign land. This must mean that someone was coming shortly to inflict some kind of pain upon him.

However, a second, calmer and more reasonable voice spoke up quietly, trying to reach him through his fright. It told him to relax, and think things through. _Otou-sama won't just abandon you. Remember, you're at his friend's house. That's what he said, right?_

Shadow paused, then gave a faint nod. Yes, Otou-sama had said he would be safe, and Otou-sama didn't lie. The thought calmed him down, but didn't stop the instinctive fear he still felt.

So, the question then became 'what to do next?'

To go look. He'd have to find Otou-sama, and as quickly as possible.

He didn't like to be alone.

Sliding off the bed with a slight _thump_, the child exited the bedroom and began his search.

xxxxxxxxx

_Crash._

The sound announced to everyone in the room that some item had met an untimely demise.

"Oops," the culprit said, wincing guiltily.

"Folks, he's done it again! Let's give a healthy round of teasing to Joey Wheeler!" Tristan laughed, an evil smirk on his face.

"Oh, Tristan, stop. Don't worry, Joey, I'll get it cleaned up," Yugi gave his friend a reassuring smile, before leaving to get the broom to sweep up the glass.

"Joey, Joey, Joey. You are such a klutz!" Marik rolled his eyes at the taller blonde. "Some things never change."

"It slipped!" Joey protested.

"Yeah. Just like how the glass of orange juice walked off the lunch table in eighth grade, huh, buddy?" Tristan grinned.

"You shut up."

"Well, you should at least help clean up, you ill-mannered little mutt," the others sniggered as Joey's face turned red at the use of his old "nickname". Seto's smirk only grew wider as he dragged to blonde out of the room, saying, "Come on, boy, you gotta go apologize to Yugi."

Ryou shook his head, smiling. It seems that no matter how much time passes, some things still stayed the same.

The white-haired hikari was enjoying himself immensely. It really felt good to be with his old friends again. He was currently leaning on a counter, his back to the door. Marik was next to him. Bakura had disappeared somewhere a while ago. Ryou figured his yami had probably gone to check on Shadow.

"You want some chips, Ryou?" Not waiting for an answer, Tristan threw the bag to his friend. Ryou had to lunge forward to catch it. Unfortunately, this caused him to lose his balance, and he started to fall – straight into the pile of glass Joey had created.

"Ryou!" Marik yelped, grabbing the other hikari from behind. He managed to yank them both back from the glass, and they ended up on the floor, one on top of the other.

"Thanks, Marik. That was close," Ryou panted.

"You're welcome. Now get offa me. You're not as light as you look," Marik grunted.

"Sorry!" Ryou jumped up, letting the other climb a bit unsteadily to his feet.

In all the excitement, no one heard the soft footsteps that announced the entrance of another person into the room.

Ryou was distracted by slight tugs on his pants. Looking down, he saw Shadow standing there, eyes wide and scared. The child looked to be on the verge of tears. Ryou had no way of knowing that the boy had spent almost fifteen minutes scouring the huge house, looking, and had finally found a familiar face when the noise of Joey's breaking the glass had drawn him to the living room where the group had gathered.

"Shadow-chan was wrong?" Ryou asked, leaning down and scooping the child into his arms. Shadow gratefully put his head on Ryou's shoulder, cuddling against the man's body.

The others were watching interestedly. Bakura had warned them ferociously to keep silent about Yami in front of the boy. He had made it clear that anyone who slipped up would have him to answer to. However, despite all his explanations and threats, everyone was still very interested in Shadow and the child's story.

"What wrong, kiddo?" Ryou repeated his question, worried.

"Where's Otou-sama? I can't find'im." Shadow whispered with a sniff.

Ryou blinked. He had thought Bakura had went to Shadow after leaving the group…but if that wasn't the case, then where _was_ his yami?

"Onii-chan, I wan' 'tou-sama…"Shadow whimpered.

"Shh, Shadow-chan, it's ok. Don't cry, alright? C'mon, we'll go find Bakura. He's bound to be around here somewhere…"

"Try the den. He looked like he wanted to be alone when he left." Yugi had reappeared, broom in hand. "Here, I'll take you. Joey, would you mind?"

"Oh! Of course, Yug, leave it to me." Joey took the broom and started to sweep. Marik, of course, started to tease the guy immediately. He seemed to have a talent for finding a jest to throw at anyone, anytime. Seto might have joined in, had he not been distracted by Shadow. The CEO followed them out of the room.

"What's going on? What's wrong, Shadow-chan?" Seto asked, concerned.

"Bakura's gone off somewhere," Ryou answered for the boy.

"Oh."

"Here we go," Yugi said as he opened the door to the den.

Bakura looked up as the door opened. It was dark in the room; he had left the lights off and the blinds down. The light from the hallway poured in, illuminating the four people at the door.

Spotting Shadow, Bakura jumped up. "Is something wrong?"

Shadow turned around at the familiar voice. "Otou-sama!"

"'Otou-sama'?" Malik repeated disbelievingly as Bakura went over to his hikari and took the kid into his own arms.

"Aww, Shadow-chan, don't be scared. What, you thought I'd leave you here?" Bakura murmured softly to the child, rocking him back and forth slightly.

Yugi smiled. "Come on, you two. Let's go stop Marik before he and Joey start a fist fight."

Bakura closed the door as the three left, and returned to the couch where he had been sitting.

"It's ok, kiddo, I'm right here. I won't leave you behind, you know that."

"I coundn' find you," Shadow whispered, still sniffling.

"Well, I'm here now, ok?" Bakura rubbed the boy's back, trying to calm him down.

After a few minutes, Shadow had quieted, and was happily curled up in Bakura's lap.

Malik, who had been silent throughout this little exchange, spoke up. "Well, Bakura, I'd have to say that you have one hell of a kid."

xxxxxxxx

As the days passed, Shadow warmed up to his new house-mates. This was a big relief to Bakura, as it meant he no longer had a little weight attached to his leg wherever he went. Yugi showed them around town. Portland _was_ a beautiful city, especially at night. Seto commented that it reminded him a bit of Hong Kong. Apparently, they had a wonderful view there. Shadow didn't enjoy it as much as the others. He was still very shy about being in public places.

Three weeks went by, and no one seemed to want to leave. Everyone had just gotten past the college years, and so they were in no hurry to go anywhere, with no jobs or school (Seto could work online). They felt they had all the time in the world. No one had brought a round-trip ticket, because they hadn't known how long they'd be staying. Yugi didn't mind, he liked company.

"Ha! I beat you!" Joey crowed one morning as he raced into the kitchen with Marik only a step behind him.

"Cheater! You shoved!" Marik protested.

"Boys, boys. Settle down," Seto muttered absentmindedly, typing away on his laptop. He was used to this kind of thing from his time of living with Bakura.

"Yes, _dad_," Marik sneered, making a face at the CEO.

"Trust me, if I was your dad, I'd have spanked you," was Seto's reply.

"Seto-ojichan!" Shadow padded into the kitchen. "Otou-sama's messed up 't 'pew-ta again."

"Again?" Seto sighed. "Alright, I'll go see what he done this time." With that, he stood and left the room.

"Hey, Shadow-chan! How're you this morning?" Joey grinned, swinging the child into the air. Shadow giggled softly, being used to this kind of behavior from Joey.

Joey swung the boy onto his shoulders. "You want some breakfast?"

"Toast!" Shadow replied happily.

"Toast it is! Hey, Marik, get the bread."

"Why don't you!"

"You do it!"

"No, you!"

"You!"

"You!"

"You!"

"_Both _of you!" Ryou interrupted, entering and taking Shadow from Joey. "Now quit arguing and make breakfast!"

Scowling, the two marched to the refrigerator, glaring at each other.

"Those two act like five year olds. No offense to you, of course, kiddo. _You're_ much more mature than _them." _Ryou sat down at the kitchen table, putting Shadow on his lap. "So, Shadow-chan, where's Bakura?"

"He trwied ta work 't 'pew-ta this mornin'" Shadow replied, turning to look at Ryou."Onii-chan, what does 'Shitfuckdammit' mean?"

Ryou choked, paling at the crude language coming from the child's mouth. "Where'd you hear that!"

Shadow frowned. "Otou-sama's always yellin' it when he's mad."

"Don't repeat it. It's a very naughty word," Ryou told the boy firmly, making a mental note to himself to talk to Bakura about his language.

"It's actually three 'naughty words' in one," Joey commented from where he was preparing the toast. "Hey you! I had the butter first!"

Ryou shook his head as Joey and Malik started to fight yet again.

"What now?" Yugi sighed as he came into the kitchen.

"Fighting over butter, of all things." Ryou shook his head again. "They never grow up."

Yugi took a seat across from Ryou and Shadow. "Good morning, Shadow-chan." The hikari smiled, nodding at the boy.

"G'mornin'," Shadow replied, grinning a little.

"Stupid computer! I hate technology!" Bakura stormed into the room, flinging himself into a chair next to his hikari.

"I don't see why you keep on trying. Just give up," Ryou sighed.

Shadow managed to crawl onto Bakura's lap without touching the floor. Giggling a little, the boy looked up into the spirit's face. "Seto-ojichan said you were tec-o-wo-gic-awy-chawenged," he chirped cheerfully, causing both Yugi and Ryou to start sniggering uncontrollably. Bakura scowled, and started muttering about murdering a certain CEO.

"Breakfast!" Marik all but threw the plate of toast onto the table.

Shadow reached for the bread, but was interrupted by Joey thrusting another plate of toasted bread in front of his nose. "Don't eat _his_, Shadow-chan. He probably poisoned it. Here, try mine."

Marik snarled, shoving Joey away. "Don't listen to him. Go on, eat."

"Why you…!" Joey recovered himself, and threw his plate onto the table before tackling the other to the floor. "Don't you shove me!"

"You think you're so tough!" Marik kicked the other blonde in the shins.

"You guys, stop," Yugi groaned "After two weeks straight of fighting, it's becoming more annoying than endearing."

"But think. Twenty years from now, we'll look back at this, and laugh," Ryou pointed out. "And not _with_ them, but _at_ them."

The two blondes on the floor glared at each other for a moment, Joey halfway on top of Marik. Slowly, a grin appeared on Marik's face. "Tell you what, Joey. Let's go see which of us made better toast, eh? Then we'll see who wins this battle."

Joey stood up. "Fine. You're on."

Marik also stood up. "Now then, who'll be the judge…"

There was a pause, then both turned at once to look at Shadow.

The boy looked back, still clueless as to what the two had in mind.

Joey and Marik walked to the table. "Shadow-chan…" Joey began.

"Eat. Which one's better?" Marik asked, pointing to the two plates on the table.

Shadow blinked, and started to shrink back, not liking pressure. He looked up to Bakura for help.

He wasn't disappointed. The former tomb robber shot the two his famous death glare. "Back off, idiots. _I_ could make toasted better than both of you!"

"Oh? Then please, show us!"

"Maybe I _will!"_

"You will do no such thing!" Seto said, coming into the kitchen. "We value our lives, thank you."

"At least _I_ can manage a toaster!"

"Shut up, pup!"

xxx

"They're all so happy…"

A lithe figure crouched in the shadows of a forest, staring into a globe of glittering magic in his hands.

With a hiss, he fisted his hands, shattering the magic globe. Small sparkles scattered to the ground.

"This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to walk away the victor. That idiot, interfering pharaoh!"

There was a rumble to his left, one so low that one who wasn't listening would have never caught it. The figure cocked his head towards the sound.

"Yes, yes, you're right. That fool died that day. And that was good…but not good enough, apparently. They grieved. We brought them pain. But it still wasn't enough. They recovered!"

The rumbling grew louder, feeding off of the figure's anger.

"And that boy…" he snarled. "That boy mustn't be allowed to live. He's dangerous. Lucky for us, he isn't old enough to be able to tap into his abilities, but still…"

The rumble turned into one of agreement.

"It'll be a sweet day when we catch them. And we will, oh, we will…I never lose a game, and I won't start now. They thought the won that day, but that was only a warm up. Next time, they won't be able to escape."

Excitement made the rumbling sound grow and intensify.

"Ah, but we mustn't rush. We will plan, and we will wait. We must make it so that by the time they step into our waiting net, we will have a flawless plan. The day we catch them is the day they die."

The rumbling grew affectionate, and wispy, unnatural shadows started to encircle the figure.

"Be patient, my pet. Soon. Soon, they will be ours. They won't be laughing then, I assure you…"


	11. Unwelcome Return

**Chapter 10**

_"Unwelcome Return"_

"Joey-nii! Pway with me!" Shadow insisted, tugging on the blonde's pants.

"Sure kiddo. What'cha want to play?" Joey asked, picking the boy up.

Shadow giggled. "Otou-sama's pwaying hwide-'n-go-seek with me! Help me fwind 'im, ok?"

"Ok…where is he hiding, do you think?"

"Somewhere in t' house?" Shadow blinked up at him.

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Well, probably, but it's a big house…"

Just then, Seto's voice reached their ears. "Bakura, what the heck are you doing in the closet?"

"Fowund 'im!" Shadow giggled, and started to squirm. Joey obediently set him down, and the boy bounded off towards Seto's voice.

Joey chuckled, and followed, thinking _ok, who gave him sugar this morning?_

"Otou-sama!" Shadow pounced on the teen who was just getting out of his hiding place. Bakura was knocked to the floor with an "oof!"

"Goodness, Shadow-chan, what'd you have for breakfast?" Seto asked, picking the laughing boy up.

"Ice-cweam!" Shadow beamed.

Marik, who had walked into sight just in time to hear this, decided to quickly turn around and head the other way.

"Who gave it to you?" Seto asked. "Ice-cream for breakfast?"

"Mawik-kun gave me!" the boy said, bouncing up and down.

"How much, exactly?" Bakura asked, picking himself off the floor.

"Four bwig bowls!"

"And you ate it all?" Bakura exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yup!" Shadow looked pleased with himself. "C'mon, wets go pway some more!"

"Where is that Marik!" Bakura growled.

Just then, Tristan walked over. "Marik wants to say, and I quote, 'please don't kill me!'"

Joey sweatdropped.

"Shadow-chan, go watch some TV. There's bound to be some cartoons." Seto set the boy on the floor.

"But Ojichannnnnn, me wants ta pway…" Shadow looked up with an adorable pout on his face.

Seto grimaced. He had yet to be able to say 'no' when the boy did that.

"Oh, Shadow-chan, c'mon. Let's go to the park, ok? You can run around there," Bakura said, beckoning to the child. "Let's go get your jacket."

"OK!" Shadow agreed, bounding to catch up with the spirit.

"I'll go too!" Joey decided. "You coming, Seto?"

The CEO shrugged. "Might as well."

In the end, or course, the whole gang ended up tagging along.

Shadow hung on to Bakura's hand tightly as they walked the couple blocks to the park. He had calmed down when they went outside, as he always did.

"Otou-sama, wet's go take a walk," Shadow suggested upon seeing all the other children on the play structure.

"You sure?" Bakura asked. "You can go play with the other kids."

Shadow shook his head.

"How about we go take a walk into the forest? There's a trail." Yugi pointed to a dense forest that bordered the playground. "I've been there before. It's nice."

"Well, it's ok with me. C'mon, kiddo, race you there." Bakura grinned, letting go of Shadow's hand, and took off. The boy laughed, nervousness forgotten, and ran after him.

"Bet I'm faster than you, pup," Marik teased, racing off. Joey let out a growl and sprang off after him.

Ryou sighed. "It is just me, or do they never seem to grow up?"

"It ain't just you." Yugi rolled his eyes, but a smile appeared on his lips. "Let's go, before they get lost."

Five minutes later, they were starting down the manmade trail.

"Look, Shadow-chan, see the bird?" Yugi asked, pointing.

"Pwetty," the boy whispered, seeing the little creature. It was a beautiful little thing, soft blue with a patch of white on its chest.

Ryou smiled at the look of wonder upon the child's face.

"Oh look at this!" Téa sighed, pointing at a butterfly perched on top of a flower. It was exquisite; its golden wings reflected the sun rays that stuck it through the leaves above.

Bakura's hand shot out, and the next moment, the butterfly with cupped inside his fist.

"Bakura!" Téa gasped. "Release it!"

"Relax; I'm not doing it any harm. Look, Shadow-chan," he lowered his fist in front of the boy's face, and cracked it open just enough for the boy to peek inside.

"Wow," Shadow breathed. "Can I towch it?"

"Sure," Bakura smiled encouragingly.

Shadow poked a finger inside and gently touched one of the butterfly's wings. He laughed, feeling the wings beat.

Ryou opened his mind link with his yami./It's all so new to him/

/Yeah./Bakura's eyes softened./Kinda reminds me of you/

Ryou blushed.

"I'm letting it go, ok?" Bakura opened his hands. The butterfly instantly fluttered off.

Shadow watch it until it was out of sight.

"Shadow-chan, look," Ryou said a few minutes later, stopping. "It's a squirrel!"

Malik snatched it.

"Oh, you guys, stop scaring the poor animals!" Ryou said exasperatedly.

"Oh, Ryou, come on. This way, Shadow-chan will get a close-up look!" He shifted his hands to get a better grip on the little rodent. The squirrel wasn't too happy about getting captured. "OW! Stupid thing bit me!"

"Serves you right," Ryou muttered.

"I heard that!" Malik scowled. He looked at the creature in his hands. "How about a game of Stomp the Rodent Flat?"

"Malik!" Yugi glared.

"All right, sorry!" the yami rolled his eyes. "Here kid, take a look. But don't let him bite you."

Shadow smiled. "It's cute."

"Just like you!" Bakura said absentmindedly.

"Aww…" Seto smirked.

He ducked Bakura's fist.

A few minutes later, they stopped again. "Wok! Otou-sama! 's a…a…a rac…a rac…"

"It's a raccoon, Shadow-chan," Seto supplied with a smile.

"Yeah! That!" Shadow peered curiously at the animal, which was preoccupied to the extent that it didn't notice a large group of humans staring at it.

"Don't any of you try to catch this one," Yugi growled.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Malik looked at him innocently.

The raccoon looked up, freaked, and ran away.

"Bye-bye," Shadow said, waving.

"It's peaceful here," Ryou commented as they started off again.

"It is," Yugi agreed. "It's beautiful."

They came upon a small clearing, surrounded by trees. A small stream ran through it, its water was clear and clean.

"Let's take a break," Bakura said, sitting on a conveniently place log, letting Shadow climbed onto his lap. Ryou sat next to him. Joey found a rock by the stream and chucked it at Marik. It glanced off his shoulder. The bleach-blonde boy scowled, grabbed a rock of his own, and retaliated. The next moment, war broke out. Tristan and Malik decided to join in.

Seto rolled his eyes, and sat on Bakura's other side, while Yugi and Téa settled on the grass, well away from the rock fight.

"One of you is going to lose an eye," Yugi called.

"One of you is going to get killed!" Ryou added helpfully.

"So what are you trying to do? Stop them?" Bakura asked, amused. "Let them keep it up, is what I say."

"OWW!" Joey howled, clutching an eye. "Dammit, which one of you hit me!"

"Told you," Yugi muttered.

"Sorry, pup. You ok?" Marik asked, a hint if worry in his voice. "I didn't think I threw that hard."

"AM I OK! You took out my eyeball!" Joey screamed.

"Oh, c'mon, stop kidding around!" Marik scowled.

"I'm NOT!"

"Yes you are! Let me see." Marik came forward to stand in front of the taller blonde.

"Are you ok, Joey-kun?" Yugi asked worriedly.

"He's fine! I didn't throw hard at all!" Marik insisted.

"Let's test this eye of mine, then," Joey snapped, and swung a fist. It hit Malik square in the stomach.

"OWWWWWWW! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

"Hey, whaddaya know. I _can_ still see!" Joey smirked.

"YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" Marik roared.

"_ME!_ Nooooo, I would _never_…"

And they proceeded to argue, using more fists than words.

"Otou-sama?"

Bakura looked down at the quiet voice he had grown to know – and love. "Yes, kiddo? Something wrong?" Shadow looked worried.

"Something feels bad," Shadow answered, shifting uneasily. "I don't feel good."

"Are you sick?" Bakura asked, placing a hand on the child's forehead.

"No, it's somethin' else…I'm scawed, Otou-sama…"

"Don't be," Bakura patted the boy's back. "Nothing's going to happen."

Which, of course, could only mean that something bad was to happen shortly. It was just one of the more twisted rules in this warped universe.

"Welllll, are you children having fun?"

Everybody froze.

_It can't be! _A voice in Bakura's mind screamed. _It can't! Impossible!_

And yet…

Bakura looked up slowly, afraid of what he might see.

There he was. There was no mistaking who stood at the opposite ending of the clearing, staring at them with an arrogant smirk.

Bakura would never forget that figure. He could remember every detail. From the length of the death-black cape to the gleam of the pupiless black eyes. He could probably tell you how many links were in the chain the held the cape together.

"It's you…" Joey gasped hoarsely.

"It's me." He smirked, his expression was one a manic might have held. "Did you miss me?"

Shadow whimpered. He pressed close to Bakura, hoping for a comforting hand to reassure him that everything would be okay.

It didn't come.

"Aww, is Shadow-chan scared?" wispy shadows started to encircle the figure's frame. "Poor little guy. Imagine. A former Pharaoh of Egypt, now reduced to this-" the smirk widened, "- a child, huddled on another's lap, begging for comfort. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Don't listen to him, Shadow-chan," Bakura hissed angrily.

"You can't shield him from the truth forever, Tomb Robber," the figure snarled. "It's going to break free. It isn't something you can contain, fool."

"Don't listen to him, kiddo."

"'Don't listen to him, kiddo'" the shadow-surrounded figure mocked. "How long do you think you can keep up the lies, Tomb Robber?"

"I have NEVER lied to him!" Bakura roared, standing up and placing Shadow behind himself.

"You've never told him the whole truth," was the icy reply.

Bakura let out a snarl that had sent many people scurrying away with fear. His opponent, however, wasn't fazed.

"Yugi," the white-haired yami hissed. "Look after Shadow. Do not, and I repeat, DO _NOT_ let him get hurt!"

"Y-yes, Bakura," the hikari stuttered. He picked Shadow up, and started to retreated to a safer place, among the trees.

"Yugi! Wait!" Ryou said, grabbing his friend's shirt. "Look!" He pointed.

From within the trees emerged a whole army of Shadow Monsters. Their giant wings were unfurled, and shadows were dripping from their bodies like rain.

With a jolt, Bakura realized they were surrounded.

"Why don't you just give up?" the Leader of the Shadow Army asked in a cool voice. "You've already all but lost. Tell you what; I'll kill you first, so you don't have to witness your precious child getting beheaded."

"I will _never_ surrender to you!" Bakura screamed.

"Yeah!" Marik yelled. "I can take you _and_ your entire stupid army!"

"Oh? _Do_ remember that last time, you had a _full grown, experienced_ Pharaoh on your side, and _still_ you were almost all killed. Just _how_ do you expect to win this time around?"

"Are you dissing us!" Malik growled.

"Yes," there was a chuckle. "What are you going to do about it?"

/Hikari./Bakura opened his mind-link/Take care of your friends. And Shadow-chan. Don't let him get hurt/

/Of course, 'Kura-kun. Please, be careful/ Ryou sounded very worried.

"Ok, you. We'll finish it here, today, once and for all. This is revenge." Bakura took a step forward. "So prepare yourself, because you're going down."

"Oh, no, my friend. It is you who should be prepared…after all; it is _your_ last day alive."

"We'll see," Malik snapped, as he and his hikari came to stand by Bakura.

"We will indeed. Now, enough talk. Let's begin."

A blood red eye appeared on the lithe figure's forehead. It was a mutilated version of the Eye of Horus, and it flickered and danced like a flame. The shadows around him flared to life and grew, snaking to surround the clearing, linking the Leader with his followers.

Then it came, the command the Shadow Army had been eagerly awaiting. "Attack, my pets, and spare no one."

At those words, all hell broke loose.

The Lead Beast sprang with a roar that shook the trees to their roots. It aimed straight for Yugi, who still had Shadow in his arms.

The Millennium Puzzle came to life with a brilliant flash. A shield sprang into existence, succeeding in throwing the beast backwards and away from its targets.

Fortunately, when the separation of the yamis and hikaris had taken place, a duplicate of each Millennium Item had also been created. The two of the same Item were equal in strength. The Puzzle's duplicate had vanished when Yami had died.

With his Ring, Ryou shielded Joey from getting gutted by a Monster that had taken aim at him.

"Group together!" Yugi shouted. "Ryou and I can save energy that way!"

Obeying, his friends made their way towards him. They ended up in a group, flanked by Yugi and Ryou. Seto took charge of Shadow. They had discovered last time around that he was able to use magic when things got really desperate.

Most of the Monsters had charged straight at Bakura, Marik, or Malik. The three formed a circle, keeping their backs towards each other. It was a hard-learned lesson.

"How long d'you think they can keep this up?" Joey whispered.

"We're doomed," Tristan murmured. "Doomed, do you hear? We're all going to die!"

"Shut up!" Seto hissed.

"Seto-ojichan, is that true?" Shadow asked in a tiny voice, eyes wide with fear, begging Seto to reassure him. He was trembling.

"Listen to me, Shadow-chan," Seto said firmly. "Stay calm. Everything will be ok. Just keep on believing that."

"Are you telling him to listen to lies? You know that's not true, Kaiba!" Tristan shrilled. "We're dead!"

"Shut up!" Ryou spun around, angry. "Keep your mouth shut, dammit!"

"Ryou, behind you!" Téa cried.

"RUN!" Joey roared.

A Monster, taking advantage of Ryou's momentary distraction, had attacked. The group scattered, scrambling to get out of the way.

The monster landed where Seto had been standing only a second before, and turned around, frustrated.

Then its blood red eyes settled on a small form huddled at the base of a tree.

"Shadow-chan!" Yugi cried desperately. He was too far away. A quick look told him that Ryou was too.

Seto turned around and cursed, seeing that he would never reach the child in time. His arm was bleeding madly, cut by the Monster's claws. He himself had been thrown more than fifty yards away.

Bakura turned around at Yugi's shout. His heart froze when he saw Shadow, alone and unprotected, cowering in front of a Monster's piercing gaze.

The beast leaped, teeth bared, claws extended.

Shadow threw up his arms instinctively to protect himself.

There was a blinding flash of light.

"SHADOW-CHAN!"


	12. Rerun

**Chapter 11**

_"Rerun"_

The ball of light grew into a blinding white, forcing Bakura to shield his eyes. Fear was starting to grip him. _Shadow-chan!_

The Monster Army's summoner began to laugh. "Really, I'm a bit disappointed. That wasn't much of a challenge."

_Shadow-chan!_ Bakura's mind screamed again.

Yugi looked like he was about to cry. There was no way the child could have survived that.

Seto felt numb. _Dammit. If only I had held on…_

There was a shriek of a beast.

_What…?_ Ryou jerked, surprised. _What was that?_

The light cleared, and everybody, including the monsters, froze.

"Oh…" Marik gasped hoarsely, eyes wide.

The Shadow Monster was suspended, frozen, in midair. It was fizzing, like an image on an ancient TV.

But what had caught everyone's attention was Shadow.

The child's arm was still raised protectively over his head. But now, a golden glow surrounded him, protecting him from the Monster's attack. The light had snared the Monster, gripping it.

"It's a shield," Malik said in disbelief.

The Monster let out one last howl, before disintegrating and winking out of existence.

Fearfully, the child peeked over his arm. He blinked when he saw the magic shield that had saved him. He lowered his arm slowly. At once, the glow disappeared.

Shadow looked down, and his eyes widened.

Around his neck hung a golden, upside-down pyramid that had not been there only seconds ago.

It was an exact replica of the one that Yugi wore.

"The puzzle…" Ryou breathed. "It's back…"

"Shit!" the Summoner snarled. "I didn't think he'd be able to use his magic quite so soon...but no matter! He is still so young. Finish him, my pets!"

"Oh no, you don't," Bakura growled, snapping back to reality. He dashed over to the child, using magic to boost his speed, and scooped the boy up while throwing up a shield of his own. A second later, three Monsters crash landed, and two disappeared.

"Otou-sama!" Shadow whimpered, hugging the spirit tightly. The puzzle had settled down, and it now lay gleaming innocently against Shadow's body.

"Bakura, heads up!" Marik yelled.

Bakura ducked, Just as a Shadow Creature sailed over him. Another second and he'd have lost his head.

"Bakura!" Yugi skidded to a stop beside him. "I'll take him." He held out his arms for the child.

"No!" Shadow said, shaking his head vehemently. "I want Otou-sama!"

"Shadow-chan, you'll be safer with Yugi," Bakura murmured, though he hated it. He knew to boy would be safer out of the direct line of fire. Besides, he would be too distracted to take proper care for the young child.

"No!" Crimson eyes started to fill up with tears.

"Shadow-chan, please," Yugi begged.

"Bakura!" Malik screamed. "Damn it, you're going to get killed!"

Bakura spun around. There was a sound that resembled a gunshot. Blue light shot from the Ring, and two more of the Beasts collapsed.

"Yugi, take him." Bakura held the child out against the boy's will. Shadow started to cry as Yugi carried him off. The sound made Bakura's heart wrench.

"DAMMIT, TOMB ROBBER! PAY ATTENTION!"

Bakura dropped to the ground, letting a Creature crash into a tree, snapping the Oak in half.

_Concentrate!_ Bakura told himself sternly. _You gotta beat these guys first! Fight now, collapse later!_

"Marik!" Joey cried as the hikari fell, blood pouring from a huge gash that stretched from his chest to his shoulder. The long claws of a Monster had met its mark.

"YOU!" Malik screamed. The next instant, the Monster with the bloody claws was gone.

The yami ran to his light. "Marik, hang on, please…"

Across the clearing, Seto let out a growl as he managed to exterminate another Creature.

A ball of magic sailed out of Bakura's hand at full speed. Another down, and…a whole bunch more to go.

_It never going to work._ Bakura thought in despair. _There're too many of them. It's like for every one we destroy, another ten takes its place! As long as the Summoner has access to the Shadows…_

Bakura suddenly jerked as a thought hit him. He could have kicked himself for being so stupid.

/Malik/he connected his mind with the other yami's/Malik, keep the Monsters distracted. I'm going straight to their source./

/You're kidding, right/Malik growled, while using the Rod to blast a Monster/you'll never get close enough to destroy him, idiot. And besides, what makes you think you'll win against him in a fight? You're weary, while he is fresh./

/What choice do I have, fool? If I don't, we're all going to die. Don't you get it? These Monsters won't run out until all of the Shadow Realm is drained/he raised his hand, annihilating another Creature.

Malik sighed, laying his hikari by the base of a tree and standing over the boy protectively/Ok, Bakura, I'll do my best. Just hurry, I can't hold them for long/

Malik raised his Millennium Rod to the sky. Light began to swirl around the Eye of Horus upon the Item. Then, with an angry snarl, the magic was released. It shot to every Beast, paralyzing them.

/NOW/Malik roared, his voice ringing and echoing in Bakura's mind/GO/

Bakura dashed towards the Summoner, using some magic to aide him. He was leaping at his opponent in three seconds flat.

However, the fight would not be an easy one.

He was immediately thrown backwards as he crashed into a shield. Struggling to his feet, he eyed his enemy coolly, sizing his up. _I've gotta finish this quickly…_

"Well, Bakura-chan, have you come to play?" the Leader of the Army laughed. "Come then, don't keep me waiting."

"Shut your mouth, fool!" Bakura roared. His ring glowed briefly, before releasing missiles of blazing hot magic at the other.

The Summoner dodged. "You didn't think that could stop me?" he chuckled, before his eyes widened in pain. Bakura had buried his fist in his opponent's stomach.

"What was that?" the yami smirked. "You shouldn't let down your guard."

The Leader cursed. A surge of shadow power forced Bakura backwards. "Well, Tomb Robber, now you've made me angry…"

/Bakura! Hurry/Malik sounded desperate.

"I don't give a shit if you're angry!" Bakura snapped. He started to gather all his energy, reaching to the depths of his reservoir. He focused his power. "I'm going to wipe you out in one blow, mighty Leader. Then you'll have all the time in the world to be angry with me."

"You will do no such thing," came the haughty reply. "You cannot."

"I can," the former Tomb Robber hissed, before unleashing all his energy, all his magic, all his power. They sped towards their target.

At the same time, the effects of the Rod vanished.

There was a blast that knocked Bakura off his feet and sends him crashing into the ground. When the air cleared and the dust settled, Bakura saw with despair that the Summoner was still alive, and only slight ruffled.

"Well, 'Kura-chan, I'd say that pets can be very useful, wouldn't you?" a thin smile appeared on the Leader's face. "Though I must say, I'm not very impressed by you. Your attack only succeeded in destroying eight of the many soldiers in my army, and I have plenty more to spare."

Bakura rose shakily to his feet. _It's over,_ he thought in despair._ I've used up all my energy-_

"Otou-sama!"

Bakura spun around.

Shadow was only yards away. He looked pleased with himself for having been able to sneak away from Yugi. The child was bounding towards him, the puzzle swaying along with him.

/Ryou, what-/Bakura gasped.

/He ran away/Ryou said desperately. He was locked in a battle with a Beast. Yugi was trying to keep up the shield that was currently protecting the group from the claws of seven Monsters./He left when we were all busy! Bakura, I'm so sor-/his thought was cut off as the Monster landed a blow to his chest.

_I've got to get him out of the line of fire! _"Shadow-chan, stay put! I'll come to you!" Bakura ordered. He couldn't risk bringing the child anymore into the open. At the moment, Shadow was still close enough to the forest that the trees offered some protection. Bakura hurried towards the child. _I've got to get to him before those things do!_

"Get the boy, my pet!" the Shadow Army's Leader screamed.

The Lead Monster rose and leapt, claws extended. It flapped its great wings. The gust of wind swayed the trees and dropped Bakura to his knees.

"No…Shadow-chan, RUN!" the spirit screamed.

It was too late, and before anyone could do anything, before the puzzle could fully activate, the Monster struck.

Its claws caught the little boy's chest, ripping the flesh, and flinging the child up off the ground. A globe of Shadow Magic formed in its mouth, swirling, and crackling with power.

And while Shadow was still in the air, it parted its jaws.

The ball of magic was released. It raged forward and hammered the child's already wounded body.

Shadow flew backwards. There was a sickening crash as his body slammed into a tree.

Bakura watched in horror as the small form fell and crumbled to the ground.


	13. And So It Was Done

**Chapter 12**

_"And So It Was Done"_

For a moment, there was silence.

Bakura could only stare in disbelief. It wasn't possible. It wasn't. _Shadow-chan…stand up…this isn't funny…_

And then the Leader of the Shadow Army began to laugh.

"Oh, Bakura! You should see your face right now. Was he truly so precious to you? I thought you two were sworn enemies."

_Was?_ Was_? Why…why is he using past tense? Shadow-chan isn't dead, he isn't…_

"Look at him, poor thing. At least it was quick, eh, 'Kura?"

Blood was starting to pool around the small body.

_He's bleeding. He's hurt. I gotta help him. Then he'll get up, and he'll be all right._ Bakura started towards the child limp form, slowly at first, as if in a dream, then picking up speed. _Who did this to him! I am going to hurt them!_

"Hold it, 'Kura." Suddenly, the Leader was in front of him, the Lead Beast by his side. "I think seeing him in this state is going to disrupt your concentration. You haven't forgotten that we were right in the middle of our game?

Bakura stared, not comprehending any of the words.

_It was him! _his mind suddenly spoke up._ HE did it, him and that Monster! HE HURT SHADOW-CHAN!_

That was all it took to get Bakura's blood racing again.

"YOU! IT WAS YOU," he screamed. "_YOU_ HURT HIM!"

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!"

A surge of emotions raced through his system. All at once, power grew within him from an entirely new source, giving strength to his body.

The Leader frowned as he sensed the growing energy source. _What is this? He use up all his energy with that last attack-_

His thought was never finished.

At that moment, Bakura snapped. All the power came rushing out. And it tripled the last attack in strength.

The Beast let out a howl before shattering.

The Leader screamed in agony as the attack literally ripped his body apart.

And then it was over. All the Monsters disappeared. It was as if they never were.

And it had all been finished with one single blow.

Bakura turned, satisfied that he had gotten revenge, and, stumbling slightly, made his way to Shadow.

He dropped to his knees beside the unmoving form.

"Shadow-chan?" His voice was hoarse, and his hands were shaking, but he took no notice. "Shadow-chan, wake up."

Gently, he gathered the small form into his arms. Blood covered the child's body. The puzzle was drenched with the crimson liquid. The boy's eyes were closed

Bakura frowned, and stood up. _I gotta get him help._

"Bakura."

The yami turned, and saw the others behind him.

"Ryou, he needs a doctor," the spirit stated in a detached voice. "He's hurt."

"I-I know, 'Kura-chan."

Bakura cocked his head. "So why aren't you calling those am-bu-lances things? And why are you crying, Ryou? He'll be fine, he just needs a doctor."

Ryou stared at him.

Seto placed a hand on the shorter teen's shoulder. "Bakura, give him to me."

The spirit shook his head, drawing back. "No, it's ok, I can carry him. I want to be there when he wakes up."

"I called 911," Téa said softly, hanging up her cell phone.

"Bakura, listen, please. Give him to me," Seto said again, with a desperate edge to his voice.

"Why?"

"'Kura…he's not going to wake up." The CEO ran a hand through his hair uneasily.

Bakura blinked. "What are you talking about? Of course he'll wake up."

"Oh, screw it, Bakura!" Joey snapped. "You saw him get hit. Look at him! How could he possibly have survived that?"

Bakura backed up. "He'll be fine!"

/Bakura/Ryou sounded weary./Please, Bakura, reasonable/

"I am!" the yami insisted out loud.

Ryou turned away, pressing a hand to his bleeding chest.

"Bakura," Seto said with a forced calm. "You have to understand that he's gone."

"You don't know that," the spirit defended. But his reason was catching up to him, and his voice wasn't very convincing.

"Bakura…"

"He's not dead!" tears started to run down his dirty face. He shook his head angrily. "He isn't!"

"Bakura, I-"

"No, Seto, he's right."

The CEO groaned. "Not you too, Yugi. Look, it's not as if I don't care. Why do you have to be so-"

"Seto, I'm telling the truth. I can feel it." The hikari gestured to his puzzle. "Please, trust me. He's alive, if only barely. The puzzle…it couldn't shield him entirely, but it did, and is still doing, its best. I'm just hoping it'll be enough."

"So he'll be all right?" Joey perked up.

"That I cannot say," Yugi whispered. "His life-force is weak."

Bakura held the little boy close, as if hoping that it would keep the child's spirit bonded to his body.

Paramedics and police officers burst into the clearing. "What happened here!" one gasped, seeing the group. Not a single one of them had gotten away without a scratch. Marik was unconscious, but waking up in his yami's arms.

"Oh, never mind that! Help him!" Yugi cried in English, pointing at Shadow. "Please, he's dying!"

The paramedics hurried to comply.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Hours and hours later found Bakura sitting in the waiting room of a hospital. The doctors had patched him up. He had been worse off than he had thought, but he would be ok. They had declared that he was in a state of shock. He didn't really care what the doctors thought. He stared straight ahead, his eyes unfocused. His mind was numb, refusing to function properly.

They had taken Shadow away. _His_ Shadow. They'd taken him from his arms. Oh, those people had given plenty of reassurances, but none of it mattered. He wanted to be with the child. He wanted to be at his side!

But despite his struggles, they had succeeded in separating them.

He almost laughed. A fine guardian he was. He had managed to leave the child unprotected twice in a day.

He shivered, subconsciously fighting the urge to cry. He wanted the boy back. He wanted to feel the child's arm around him, to see the boy's sparkling eyes, and to feel the small body against his own.

Ryou had his arm around him. He knew that, in some far away part of his mind. But he didn't really care. How? How could this have happened? It was just like the fight seven years ago. Except this time, it was a lot more personal, and the wound was cut deeper. Losing Yami once had been hard enough. Now it was like losing him all over again.

Ryou looked worriedly at his yami. The spirit looked so lost. His hands were shaking, and Ryou felt a shiver run through the taller teen's body.

Removing his jacket, the hikari draped it around his friend's shoulders.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Ryou sighed. It was well into the early hours of the morning. They had yet to let them see Shadow. Marik was resting comfortably; the doctors had finished with him about an hour ago. Or was it two? He really didn't know. They hadn't been allowed to visit the other hikari either. The doctor had firmly stated that his patient needed rest.

Everyone else was fine. There were deep wounds that would turn into permanent scars and broken bones, but nothing life-threatening. The magic-users were especially drained, but they would recover with time.

The worst scars, Ryou felt, would be the emotional ones. Losing Shadow now wouldn't help.

He looked around. Yugi had given up and had fallen asleep, exhaustion clearly written on his face. He was clutching the puzzle tightly, even in his sleep.

Téa, too, was sleeping.

Joey and Tristan had left to get a drink of coffee, having been unable to keep sitting any longer.

Malik was like Bakura, staring off into thin air. He was stroking the Millennium Rod absentmindedly.

When he turned to look at Seto, he realized the CEO was staring at him.

Ryou raised his eyebrows slightly. "Something wrong, Seto?"

The brunette sighed. "I don't know…I feel so detached from everything. I mean, I know I should be feeling sad, or at least unhappy…but I'm not." He shook his head. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, Seto-kun. It's just your way or dealing with stress. Everyone reacts differently." Ryou closed his eyes. "At the moment, I wish I could take it like you."

Seto shuddered. "Perhaps. But I feel so guilty, watching you all suffer as if from a distance…" he trailed, and fell silent.

Ryou turned to gave Seto a small smile of reassurance, before putting his head on Bakura's shoulder and surrendering to the weariness that was pulling him into the blankets of sleep.

At five a.m. the doctor who had taken charge of Shadow walked into the waiting room. He was clearly in need of rest, which was not surprising in the least. The man had spent hour after hour trying to keep his young patient alive.

Yugi had woken up by then, and sprang to his feet the moment the doctor came into view.

The doctor gave the younger man a small smile which was meant to be reassuring, though it wasn't entirely effective.

The others were asleep; even Bakura had finally dozed off.

"Doctor…" Yugi began the moment the other man was within hearing distance.

The doctor held up a hand. "I know you're concerned. Sit down, I'll tell you everything." That said, he took a chair and pulled it over to sit so he was face-to-face with Yugi.

"Now then." The doctor, Dr. Yuichi, pushed his bangs back from his forehead. "I'm pleased to be able to tell you that he is still hanging on to life. He is in critical condition at the moment, and is being closely supervised. We have no clue when he's going to wake up from the coma he's in, or if he'll wake up at all. His body's wrecked; broken bones all over, punctured lungs, and major concussion."

"But when he wakes up, will he make a full recovery?" Yugi asked, anxious.

"_If_ he wakes up, Mr. Mouto. Not when. _If._ And to answer your question, I am going to honestly tell you that the odds are against him, but it is not impossible."

"May we see him?" the hikari asked hopefully.

"No." The doctor shook his head. "He needs his rest-"

"But _doctor._" Yugi looked over. Seto had woken up and was speaking in near perfect English. "Can't you just let _one_ of us in?"

Dr. Yuichi hesitated. "I don't know…"

"_Please?"_ Yugi added.

The doctor, seeing their faces, relented. "But one and only one. No arguments. Then you leave him alone to get his rest, got it?"

"Yes sir, thank you!" Yugi beamed.

"Hey, Bakura, wake up!" Seto switched back to Japanese, poking the spirit in the shoulder.

"Whassamatter?" Bakura asked groggily.

"Don't you want to see Shadow-chan?"

Bakura's eyes snapped fully open. "What? I can?" He bolted up, almost dumping Ryou to the ground.

"Follow the doctor," Seto smiled, and pointed.

Ten minutes later, Bakura found himself in front of door number 109 in the Intensive Care Unit.

The doctor opened the door, and, knowing the teen didn't speak English, gestured for him to go in.

In a daze, Bakura stepped through and into the room.

It was dim in the room. The shades were down, and the only light came from a small night-light attached to the wall. It was shaped like an angel.

Bakura's eyes adjusted to the dimness, and settled on the only bed in the little room.

There were machines all around the bed, whirling, beeping, and making a variety of other noises. They all had wires that connected them with a small figure on the white bed.

It took a moment for Bakura's brain to register and comprehend what he was seeing.

"Shadow-chan…"he gasped, hurrying over to the bed.

The child appeared to be asleep. His eyes were closed and his face held a serene expression that almost instantly calmed Bakura down. The boy wore a small hospital gown, and a blanket was drawn up to his chest. Bandages that were wrapped around his chest peeked out from under the soft white gown. He wore an oxygen mask, and Bakura could hear his soft breathing.

It would have been hard to believe the boy was in danger of dying had the machines not been there.

Bakura sat wearily down on a chair placed next to the bed. His hand found its way over to the little boy, and he began to gently stroke the always messy hair.

_He's still alive._ He thought with a relieved sigh. _I would've never forgiven myself…_

He ran his hand down Shadow's cheek.

_I wish you'd wake up…_

But Shadow didn't stir.

Exhaustion made his eyelids start to drop. Surrendering, Bakura shifted, wrapping his hand around Shadow's, reassuring himself that the boy wouldn't be going anywhere. Then he laid other arm on the bed and settled his head on top. His body relaxed as sleep welcomed him home once again.

When Bakura awoke again, he had the strange feeling that someone had been trying to reach him, to talk to him, sometime during his deep slumber.

Shadow didn't wake up that day, or the next, or the next. For two weeks he laid in the hospital room, surrounded by the machines, and almost always accompanied by a person seated next to him.

The doctors and nurses had given up trying to convince Bakura to go home at night. The teen now spent every minute at the hospital, either with Shadow or in the waiting room if one of his friends had taken his place by the child's side.

But by the end of those first two weeks, his hope was fading, replaced by a ton of worries and what-ifs. What if Shadow never woke up? What if, what if, what if?

Every morning, Bakura would always feel that someone had been trying to communicate with his during the night. He mentioned it to Ryou once, and his hikari had suggested he went home to rest. He never brought up the subject again.

It was a week into his stay at the hospital that he began to dream. The first night, it was only a dim light, a speck in the distance. As the days progressed, the light grew stronger.

Until that fourteenth night, at the end of those two uncertain weeks. The night before had brought him a dream filled with pure light that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Tonight, the instant his subconscious mind took over, he heard a voice.

_"Bakura."_


	14. Completion

**Chapter 13**

_"Completion"_

_"Bakura."_

_Slowly, he became aware of someone trying to wake him._

_"Bakura, c'mon. Wake up!"_

_With a groan, he opened his eyes. He had barely gotten them apart when he snapped them shut again with a howl. The light had been intense enough to make contact painful._

_"'Kura, are you awake? Can you hear me?"_

_"Go 'way, who ever you are. The stupid light is strong enough to power a city!"_

_"Just open your eyes slowly, then," the voice said, exasperated. Funny. It sounded so familiar…_

_Bakura scowled, but decided to take the advice. He couldn't very well sit there forever with his eyes closed._

_A minute later, his was blinking away the last of the pain._

_"You okay now?"_

_Bakura turned around toward the source of the voice._

_And he choked._

_"YOU!"_

_The other blinked. "Yes, it's me. Who else?"_

_"You…you…but how?" the white-haired teen stuttered._

_The figure chuckled. "Surprised?"_

_"Damn right I'm surprised, you idiot Pharaoh!"_

_Yami laughed, and straightened, extending a hand to his friend. "You feel like sitting there all day?"_

_Bakura took the offered hand, mind numb with shock. "But how? Why?"_

_Yami smiled, humor dancing in his crimson eyes. "Why what? Why am I back?"_

_Bakura nodded dumbly._

_"Seems I wasn't quite finished with the lot of you." The former pharaoh shrugged. "But hey, aren't you glad to see me?"_

_The other spirit had to smile. "Of course, fool. I never got to thank you for…well, you know…"_

_"Last time?" Yami asked with a grin. "I did what was right, Bakura. I'd do it again if need be."_

_"Don't you dare! You scared the heck outta us!"_

_The spirit of the puzzle chuckled again, then grew serious. "Look, Bakura, I'd love to chat, but I haven't got much time."_

_"Why? Need to go somewhere?"_

_"You do. You'll need to wake up soon. I brought you here to say good-bye."_

_"What!" Bakura gasped. "You mean Sha – you are going to die?"_

_"Silly. I said _I _needed to say good-bye, not Shadow!" Yami grinned at the expression on the other's face._

_"But you _are_ Shadow!"_

_"Not exactly. We are one, and yet separate at the same time. My job here is done, 'Kura. It's time I leave."_

_"What exactly was your job?"_

_"Basically, to guide Shadow, and, in the process, you. The others also, but especially you. I was Shadow's reason and his comfort, his teacher and his hope for the past six years."_

_"But why are you leaving now? He'll still need you!"_

_"The ultimate goal of my job was to guide _you_, Bakura. And that job has been accomplished."_

_"It has?"_

_"Don't you understand? Through the past five thousand years, we've learned from each other. Your lesson was almost complete, Bakura, but there was one thing you had yet to learn, and that was the true power of love."_

_Bakura stared, mind blank._

_"Think, Bakura. How was it that the Summoner's defeat finally came to be?"_

_And realization hit the white-haired teen like a boulder._

_"It was because I got so furious at him…for hurting Shadow-chan…"_

_Yami smiled. "Yes. Without your love for the child, all your power couldn't have beaten him."_

_"And now…you're leaving?"_

_Yami nodded._

_"But Shadow-chan still needs you."_

_"Shadow needs someone to be there for him. Someone who can help him through life. That, ultimately, is not my position."_

_"Then whose is it?"_

_Yami grinned. "I think you're perfect for the job."_

_Bakura stared at the other teen. "Excuse me?"_

_"Why are you shocked? You've been doing fine."_

_"If that was true, you could've left ages ago!"_

_Yami shook his head. "I had to make sure things were going according to plan. And I wanted to make sure that your confrontation with the Summoner doesn't get the child killed."_

_"The puzzle… it was your doing?"_

_Yami nodded. _

_"And when you leave, will it be left behind?"_

_"No. I'm taking it with me. Although Shadow does have the power to call on it, it's buried so deep that he'll probably never find it, or need to, for that matter. And that is another reason I must go. It's not fair to make him carrying around so big a burden for the rest of his life."_

_Bakura nodded in understanding, before thinking of another question. "Yami…"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Will Shadow-chan be ok?"_

_Yami grinned. "Yes. He's just tired. The road to recovery will not be an easy one, Bakura. But I have faith that with you by his side, he'll do just fine."_

_Bakura smiled, relieved. Then he thought of something else. "Yami... I'm still not sure I understand. I thought that you and Shadow the same person…"_

_"Yes, and no. While Shadow is what you'd call my reincarnation, it doesn't mean I've ceased to exist and became a whole new person. I guess you could say I'm part of his soul, as he is a part of mine. Most people do not have within them something like me. I just came along for the ride with Shadow, in a manner of speaking. In my doing so, I've caused him to mature faster than he would have. I'm leaving now, to give him back his childhood. He doesn't need me anymore."_

_Bakura sighed. "I still don't get it, but I'll take your word for it."_

_Yami laughed. "Smart. It's time for me to go, 'Kura-kun." Even as he said it, he and the light began to fade._

_Bakura reached out, and grasped Yami's hand. "I'll see you again?"_

_"Someday. Good-bye, Bakura. Take good care of Shadow…and tell Yugi I said good-bye…"_

The light faded into darkness. Bakura let his eyes stay closed for a moment longer, before easing them open.

He blinked as his eyes met the natural light that poured in from the opened window.

"Otou-sama?"

His eyes snapped down at the soft voice, and widened when he saw Shadow's eyes open.

"Shadow-chan!" he cried. "You're awake!"

Shadow giggled.

Bakura wished that the wires and tubes weren't there, for they prevented him from snagging the boy into a hug. Instead he stretched out his hand and let the child grasp it tightly and warmly in his own. It was a simple gesture of affection, one as old as mankind, and it said what a thousand words never could.

Bakura gazed upon the little boy with pure affection such as he had never known before. The two had no way of knowing that nurses would be coming in shortly to interrupt them. Nor would they have cared, for those moments were priceless, and would become embedded in their memories forever. For those brief moments in time, they knew nothing but simply adoration for the person they had some to love. As they sat, hand in hand, Bakura finally let out the breath he had been holding for the past two weeks.

He had no way of knowing that as he sat there, a tri-color haired teen smiled, looking down at the scene with sparkling eyes filled with joy and satisfaction.

_Are you ready to go, little one? It is way past time that you enter into your final rest._

Casting a final look back at the pair in the small hospital room, the teen nodded. As he turned away, the emotions dancing in his crimson eyes never left.

_Mission accomplished, young one?_

Spreading the light golden wings that had appeared to take him home, the spirit nodded with a soft smile.

_Mission accomplished._


	15. Epilouge

**_Epilogue_**

The shrill rings of a phone demanding to be picked up rang through the house, insistently echoing through the halls and rudely ending the still silence of the morning.

There was a muffled grunt, and a thump. As suddenly as it had began, the ringing stopped.

"Hello?"

"Hi," the person on the other end responded instantly. "It's been a while."

There was a brief sound of sleepy laughter. "Yes. How've you been?"

"Wonderful. I just called to make sure you know we'll be arriving tonight."

"Yeah. We've been getting things ready."

"You sound kinda sleepy."

"You do realize it's eight in the morning here, right?"

"Oh! That explains it…I'm sorry, I totally forgot about the time difference!"

"It's okay. So, you'll be here at seven? Our time?"

"Yep. I can't wait to see that place again."

"Things haven't changed that much."

A chuckle sounded through the line. "I hoped not. Anyway, I'll see you."

"Wait, hang on…"

"Yes? Is something wrong?"

A pause.

"I…I was just wondering…well…do you still miss…you know…"

Another pause…

"Why do you ask?"

"Uh…um…I..."

"No, it's ok. To tell you the truth, I don't think I'll ever forget him. But that night, you know which one I mean…that night, I was waiting for you. I fell asleep in the chair. That night – I've never told anyone this, but in my sleep, I sensed him. I would know that feeling anywhere. I sensed him near me, and I swear I felt…well, it might sound strange, but I swear I felt him hug me, just for a moment, and he whispered a good-bye." There was a sigh. "You think I'm just imagining things, don't you?"

"I don't. I know that it really happened."

"Really?" the voice sounded much happier.

"Yes. Well, I won't keep you too long. I just wanted to know…"

"Thank you, Bakura, for caring."

"Anytime, Yugi. Just don't tell anyone else about this, alright? Especially the psycho twins."

"Yes, wouldn't want to ruin your reputation. See you, then."

"See you."

And they hung up.

"Otou-sama!" the joyous cry of a child bounced of the walls. A short moment later, there was a crash.

"Owww! Goodness, you're awake already?"

"It's almost nine, 'Kura," another voice joined in. "We have lots to do."

"Oh, Mokuba, it's barely eight thirty. Do you know that you sound more like that brother of yours everyday? "

"Yes, I know. Thank you. Speaking of which, Seto's out for some business. He told me to keep you away from the kitchen appliances, so if you want breakfast, you better get down here now."

"Figures. He trusts a kid, but not me."

"I'm proud to say that I've never blown up a single microwave, or a toaster, for that matter. C'mon, Shadow-chan, let's go eat breakfast. Then we can decide on what to get for dinner tonight. The others will be here in time to eat with us."

"Toast! Mokie-niichan, I wanna have toast!"

"Toast it is then. Bakura, hurry out of bed."

"Go 'way."

"C'mon, Otou-sama, c'mon!"

"OH! Hey! Don't pull! Why you- come here!"

"Wha-? Don't, 'tou-sama! No -'niichan, help!"

"You're gonna get it now, kid!"

Three voices of laughter sounded through the house, mixing and weaving easily into one.

* * *

_(The followingis theAuthour's Note from the original version of the story, written and published along with the original epilogue)_

So…what do you think?

Did you like that I brought Mokuba back in at the last second? A little gift to all of you who wanted to see him. I'm sorry he doesn't have a bigger role…

The endnotes are gonna be longer than usual. If you don't like it, then skip it. I won't mind. But, everyone, PLEASE review! It's the last update! Let me know you're there! It can be just one word. You can be anonymous. I don't care, just let me know you're there, and I'll be forever in your debt. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Ok. You know, this story would never be where it is today if it weren't for all my reviewers. I really am amazed so many people liked it! It started out really small, as just an idea in my head, and I really wasn't sure how the readers would respond, if they respond at all. What a surprise it was when those reviews started to really come in! Every comment, every suggestion, every praise made me happy, and I took them all to heart. I give to each of you a thousand thank yous, and more.

Let's see…there was more I wanted to say…

Alright, here's a bunch of useless information I feel like putting down, just because I can…

"A Soul's Last Mission" has a little bit of everything that I like: angst, tragedy, drama, action/adventure, humor, and a cute, adorable, lovable little kid. I like little kids. Especially little Yami. Yami is my favorite character, Bakura's a close second. I love it when bad stuff happens to my favorite characters. It might sound weird, but it's true.

Why did I choose to make Bakura and Seto, Marik and Malik all so OCC? Because I like to bring out the softer sides of "tough" characters. Everyone has a softer, more sensitive side, and I think that these four never get to show it. I like it when they, and Yami, are all friends. I believe that Yugi should not always be the rescued, and Yami the rescuer.

Original characters profile:

Ikari: Remember Ikari? The little kid at the beginning? He was modeled after Joey. Notice the similarities in appearance and even in personality.

Koji: You remember Koji, right? The name was taken from the character in a season of _Digimon _(which I do not own). Koji's personality was a mix of a few things. He was partly based off what I think Seto would be like if he had never been adopted.

The Summoner (or "the bad guy" whatever you want to call him): I never gave him a name, or an accurate description of what he looked like. I never told you where exactly his power came from, or exactly who he was. For now, that's up to your imagination…I believe in letting the reader fill in the blanks, sometimes. Often, your picture is better than mine.

The Shadow Creatures: a strange fragment of my imagination…

Shadow: obviously, he was based off of Yami in appearance and personality. I love this kid. He's everything I look for in an original character. It's just so easy to care about him!

Hmm…anyone else?

Oh…Dr. Yuichi…not much to say about him. His name came from the Yu in Yugi added with the chi in Jounochi.

Moving on…

I know a couple of you want a sequel, or prequel. If you're in favor of a sequel or prequel, or a companion fic, review and let me know! If you're not, let me know that too! I'm thinking about it, trust me. Tell me what you think.

Hmm…well, I guess that's about it. Not as long as I thought it'd be.

Lastly – you guessed it – please review! Thank you!


	16. Last Author's Note

_**April2006**_

_Hello minna-san! It's been a very long time, hasn't it? Has it really been a year and a half since the epilogue was published? A lot has happened since then, and life has gotten a lot busier, but I've never really forgotten this story, nor the numerous requests I've gotten for a sequel of some sort to be written. It's always seemed to me like this story never quiet reached its full potential, that there's still so much that can be done with it. _

_Obviously, being the lazy person that I am, I never really followed up on this. A month ago, however, I was looking through my old files as I moved them from my old computer to my new one. I came across the Word files of "Soul's Last Mission," and something just said, "you know, it would be a shame to leave the story as it is."_

_And so, I began the long, frustrating process of editing the original manuscripts of this story, adding parts, correcting mistakes, fixing the chapters up a bit. As a result of my renewed interest, I also began what was supposed to be a short sequel to the story._

_I guess basically, what the two main points of this note are:_

_**This story has now been edited to the best of my ability. **Old readers may notice the changes that have been added, especially that I have taken out all of those author's notes at the beginning and end of each chapter. (Yeah, _those_ were just…really hard to look at…)** If you find any mistakes whatsoever, TELL ME! It is my wish to make this story error-free. **I tried to leave most of the original work alone, so the story would stay as it was when I first started to tell it. I had the hardest time refraining from changing humongous chunks of material, as I have now adopted an almost entirely different style of writing. Really, looking back now, this writing is somewhat embarrassing…but I do want it to stay true to its author, the twelve-year-old who had only just begun to scratch the surface of the art of writing._

_**A new sequel has been added. "O'chibi to Oyabaka" is a collection of stories depicting Shadow's growing-up years. It picks up from when the original story left off.** I had given up on writing a long-chapter sequel. I've always liked short stories better anyway. I'm hoping this can be round-robin fic, meaning, if you have any ideas, you can send them to me, or write up the actual story then send it to me, and I'll post it. If I did this by myself, I'm sure there'll be, like, an update once a year. So please help me out! Only requirements are that the stories must be short – no more than three chapters – and must take place AFTER the story's end._

_That's all. I really hope you all enjoy the new sequel!_


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